SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Functions

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the functions of her Department that have been (a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 18 March 2002
	In relation to the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible, the answer is as follows:
	Crown Prosecution Service
	The CPS has not conducted any formal market testing activity in the last five years.
	The CPS has, however, let a major contract for the provision of IT services under private finance initiative (PFI) principles in December 2001. The service provision is due to commence in April 2002.
	Treasury Solicitor's Department
	In March 1999 a new cleaning contract was awarded by the Treasury Solicitor's Department following a competitive tendering exercise. Another contract was let, after a further tendering exercise, for the Department's security guarding function in December 1999, as a consequence of the withdrawal of the previous (public sector) supplier. There were no cost savings in either case.
	Serious Fraud Office
	In the last five years the Serious Fraud Office has market tested and outsourced IT, telecoms and off-site storage services. The remaining information requested could be provided only by the individual consideration of all relevant finance files for the last five years. This would involve disproportionate cost.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to reduce unit costs per case in real terms by 1.3 per cent. by March will be met.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Law Officers' 2002 departmental report.

Property Protection

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what new measures her Department took in 2001–02 to protect its property from theft or damage.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 10 April 2002
	It is not the practice of the Law Officers to make public details of security arrangements for the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible.

Ministerial Travel

Simon Burns: To ask the Solicitor-General how many times Ministers in her Department have travelled abroad at taxpayers' expense since March 2001; what countries they visited; and what the total cost of each visit was.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Since 1999 this Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. The 1999 list contained information on all such visits undertaken from 2 May 1997 to 30 April 1999. Details for travel undertaken in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year.
	All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Solicitor-General how many times special advisers have accompanied Ministers on overseas visits in each of the last five years; which countries were visited; and what the total cost of each individual visit was.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 9 April 2002
	Neither the Attorney-General nor I employ special advisers.

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Solicitor-General how much was spent by departmental special advisers on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for entertainment purposes in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: Nothing has been spent as neither the Attorney-General nor I employ special advisers.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible; and if the target was met.

Harriet Harman: The Attorney-General is not responsible for any non-departmental bodies.

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General how many people employed by the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseekers' allowance or other benefits.

Harriet Harman: The Attorney-General is not responsible for any non-departmental bodies.

Porton Down

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Solicitor-General on what time scale she expects to reach conclusions in relation to the inquiry by Wiltshire Police into experiments at Porton Down, with special reference to (a) the file submitted to the Attorney-General in January 2001 concerning L.A.C. Ronald Maddison and (b) the police reports referring to experiments on the common cold.

Harriet Harman: Wiltshire police commenced this inquiry in 1999.
	As regards a possible prosecution, files of evidence for consideration by the CPS have been sent in stages since September 2001. A large quantity of material has been submitted and is in the process of being reviewed.
	Further papers are expected from the police within the next few weeks. When all the evidence has been received, the CPS will conclude the review process promptly. There are no specific police reports referring to experiments on the common cold. These assertions are contained in numerous statements throughout the many evidential files and are being fully considered in conjunction with the other evidence.
	Separately, an application has been made by HM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon for authority to apply to the Hight Court for a fresh inquest into the death of Ronald Maddison at Porton Down. The application has been granted by the Attorney-General.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Stadium

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps will be taken to recover the £120 million of Lottery funding invested in the project should the decision be taken not to proceed with the development of a new national football stadium at Wembley after 30 April.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 18 April 2002
	This would be a matter for discussion between Sport England and the Football Association, and Wembley National Stadium Ltd.

National Stadium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what plans she has to withdraw her Department's support for the National Stadium project; what assessment she has made of the effect withdrawal would have on the future of the project; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the FA's failure to satisfy the conditions she set out in her statement of 19 December 2001 on the future of the National Stadium project; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I set out to the House on 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–93, the requirements that would need to be addressed by the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Limited, for the Government to be able to give support to the National Stadium project. That remains the Government's position and I understand the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Limited are working towards meeting those requirements.

Football

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last attended a Nationwide Football League match.

Richard Caborn: I attended the match between Norwich City and Stockport County on Sunday 20 April at Carrow Road.

Voluntary Sector

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire of 25 January 2002, Official Report, columns 1185–86W, on Government funding of the voluntary sector, if she will list the grant schemes and other mechanisms by which (a) her Department, (b) the Arts Council of England, (c) English Heritage and (d) Sport England distributes funding to voluntary sector organisations.

Kim Howells: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The Department has no grant scheme by which it distributes Government funding to the voluntary sector. However, during the financial year 2000–01 we provided the Community Service Volunteers £67,000 towards the cost of their Lending Time project. We have contacted the Arts Council of England, English Heritage and Sport England to request the information required, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

National Lottery

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the running costs were of each of the Lottery distributors in the last 12 months.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 19 April 2002
	This information is not readily available. I will, however, write to the hon. Member as soon as it has been collated, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

National Lottery

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been distributed (a) in total and (b) to voluntary organisations by each of the Lottery distributors in each year of their existence.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 19 April 2002
	We do not hold this information centrally. We have, however, contacted each of the Lottery distributors to ascertain whether they hold this information, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

National Lottery

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) grant schemes and (b) other mechanisms by which each of the Lottery distributors distribute funding to voluntary sector organisations.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 19 April 2002
	We do not hold this information centrally. We have, however, contacted each of the Lottery distributors to ascertain whether they hold this information, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

DEFENCE

Iraq

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times RAF aircraft (a) were fired upon and (b) responded with fire in Iraqi airspace in the last 12 months.

Adam Ingram: RAF aircraft undertake patrols in Iraqi airspace as part of the international coalition's No Fly Zone (NFZ) enforcement operations. A single coalition NFZ patrol involves multiple aircraft types in an integrated package. Surface-to-air fire by Iraqi air defence weapons is recorded as an attack on the whole, rather than against individual aircraft types.
	Between 1 March 2001 and 20 March 2002 attacks on coalition aircraft by Iraqi Air Defence weapons, including anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles, were recorded on 488 occasions.
	On four occasions RAF aircraft released ordnance in self-defence responses to these attacks.

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people employed by the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible under the new deal for young people in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits.

Lewis Moonie: None of the non-departmental bodies sponsored by the Ministry of Defence have to date employed people on the new deal for young people scheme.

Overtime Payments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on overtime payments for staff in his Department.

Lewis Moonie: Within the Ministry of Defence the policy for additional compensation to civil servants for hours worked in excess of normal conditioned hours differs depending on the grade of the employee and the duties that they routinely perform. The authorisation of overtime working has been delegated to responsible line managers and their associated finance staff.
	Senior civil servants are not eligible for overtime payments. A few senior non-industrial staff are classed as non-overtime grades, but are entitled to payments for long hours once a monthly threshold of 10 hours has been passed. Other non-industrial and industrial staff are entitled to overtime payments normally on the basis of time and a half for Monday to Saturday overtime working, and double time for attendance on Sundays and public and bank holidays. Although not obliged to do so, staff are encouraged to take time off in lieu.

Parliamentary Questions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the cost was to his Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated;
	(2)  how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 April 2002, Official Report, column 929W, by the President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, my right hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook).

Mountain Warfare

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units of the Army are trained for mountain warfare; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are two Army units that are trained for mountain warfare; 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and 59 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers. In addition, Army personnel attached to the Commando Logistic Regiment and the Commando Medical Squadron are similarly trained. All these units are affiliated to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, which is part of the Naval Service.

Deep Cut Army Camp

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  where the incident that led to the death of Private Cheryl James in 1995 within the Deep Cut Army Camp took place; where the death took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on (a) the cause of death, (b) the circumstances and (c) the coroner's verdict on the death of Private Cheryl James in 1995 at the Deep Cut Army Camp;
	(3)  whether there was an MoD inquiry into the death of Private Cheryl James in 1995 at Deep Cut Army Camp; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Deep Cut Army Camp

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  where the incident that led to the death of the soldier Shaun Benton in 1995 within the Deep Cut Army Camp took place; where the death took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on (a) the cause, (b) the circumstances and (c) the coroner's verdict on the death of Shaun Benton in 1995 at Deep Cut Army Camp.
	(3)  whether there was an MoD inquiry into the death of the soldier Shaun Benton in 1995 at Deep Cut Army Camp; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Deep Cut Army Camp

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  where the incident that led to the death of Private James Collinson in 1995 within the Deep Cut Army Camp took place; where the death took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on (a) the cause of death, (b) the circumstances and (c) the coroner's verdict on the death of Private James Collinson in 1995 at the Deep Cut Army Camp;
	(3)  whether there was an MOD inquiry into the death of Private James Collinson in 1995 at Deep Cut Army Camp; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Private James Collinson, Royal Logistic Corps, died from a gunshot wound to the head while on guard duty at the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut, on 23 March 2002. The circumstances surrounding Private Collinson's death are still the subject of a police investigation and it would, therefore, be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. A date for the coroner's inquest has yet to be set. Only after the inquest has concluded can an Army Board of Inquiry into Private Collinson's death be convened.

Gibraltar

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel are stationed in Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 669W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).

Gibraltar

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the RAF station in Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: There are no current plans to change the role of the RAF station in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart regarding the future of the Headquarters British Forces Gibraltar under the Brussels Process; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has had no such discussions.

Blue Danube Atomic Bomb

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when drawings and specifications of the Blue Danube atomic bomb were placed in the Public Records Office; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The file containing this information about Blue Danube was transferred to the Public Record Office in August 1994.

Blue Danube Atomic Bomb

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the US Government regarding publication of details of the Blue Danube atomic bomb.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Nuclear Weapons

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum number of warheads loaded on to the individual Trident D5 missiles currently deployed; and what is the maximum number of warheads that could be deployed on each of the United Kingdom's Trident D5 missiles.

Adam Ingram: A maximum of 12 nuclear warheads could be deployed on each of the United Kingdom's Trident D5 missiles. The number of warheads loaded on to each missile currently deployed is withheld under Exemption 1 (Defence, Security and International Relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

QinetiQ

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps were taken to ensure that the bidding process for contractors in respect of QinetiQ was conducted in accordance with his Department's rules; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: An advert was placed in the Financial Times (European edition) on 8 March 2002 seeking expressions of interest in becoming a strategic partner to QinetiQ in writing to UBS Warburg by 15 March 2002. Almost 40 parties expressed an interest and were forwarded a pre-qualification questionnaire for response by 28 March. 16 completed responses have been received and these are at present being assessed with the intention of selecting those parties to receive the information memorandum.

Senior Armed Forces

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 552W, on senior members of the armed forces, how many officers of the rank of general and above in each service attended (a) independent and (b) state schools.

Adam Ingram: I have nothing to add to my earlier reply. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Accommodation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation units were of (i) grade one, (ii) grade two, (iii) grade three and (iv) grade four standard in each year between 1997 and 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Service Accommodation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) married quarters and (b) single living accommodation quarters have been inspected for health and safety in the last 12 months; how many have failed health and safety inspections; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Service Accommodation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many repairs have been made to (a) service family accommodation and (b) single living accommodation in each year between 1997 and 2001; how many of these have repeated repairs conducted in the previous year; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

ABRO (Staff Rights)

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the steps taken by his Department to protect staff rights in connection with service with ABRO, with special reference to the case of Mr. Alan Ely of Linlithgow.

Adam Ingram: ABRO staff are Ministry of Defence civil servants and enjoy the same employment rights as all other staff employed in the Department. With particular regard to the dismissal case of Mr. Alan Ely, the appropriate departmental procedures were followed by ABRO.
	Legal proceedings in this matter are currently on-going. On legal advice the MOD has appealed against the level of the Employment Tribunal's compensation award, made to Mr. Ely for unfair dismissal.

Donna Nook Range

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of inspections of the Donna Nook range conducted by Explosives Ordnance Disposal personnel from RAF Coningsby has been in the last five years; and what his estimate is of the one-off cost of permanently disposing of munitions contained in this dump.

Lewis Moonie: Information on costs over the last five years is not available but, in the last financial year, the cost of RAF Coningsby-based personnel clearing RAF Donna Nook air weapons range was estimated to be £97,000. This figure does not include the cost of training, incidental expenses or the cost of replacing specialist bomb disposal equipment. Those personnel who undertake the clearance of the air weapons range also inspect the munitions dump weekly. No estimate has been made of the one-off cost of disposal of the munitions contained in this dump.

Military Aviation Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military aviation accidents involving RAF and other countries' air forces occurred in the UK (a) from 1990 to 1997 and (b) from 1997 to the present, broken down by region and by air force; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Service Personnel (Transport)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what official guidelines there are concerning travel time for service personnel returning to their home base from overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she proposes to modify the voluntary status of the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002 to comply with the mandatory status of the EU Trading Scheme when the latter comes into force in 2005.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The Government welcome the principles of EU trading to encourage European industry to gain early experience of trading in advance of international trading under the Kyoto protocol. The Commission's proposal for a EU emissions trading scheme does differ in some respects from the UK scheme; one significant difference is that the Commission's proposal is for a mandatory scheme whereas the UK scheme is voluntary. The Government are working with the Commission and other member states during the negotiation process to develop a less rigid emissions trading scheme for the EU that takes account of existing national trading arrangements and provides for them to run their course. It has always been the Government's intention that the transition between the UK scheme and any EU or international trading scheme will be as seamless as possible.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she intends that the use of sinks and forest sequestration will be allowed as part of the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Although the Government recognise that carbon sinks can provide environmental and other benefits, they believe that the UK's current priority should be actual emissions reductions, rather than carbon sequestration (either as sinks or storage) because of the complexities and uncertainties involved in forestry projects and other carbon sinks. For the time being, therefore, sinks and forest sequestration projects are not eligible for entry into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. This approach to sinks and sequestration will be kept under review.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the rules her Department has drawn up to ensure that the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002 delivers emission reductions additional to those required by regulation will be published.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The Government have already made further details on the treatment of regulatory requirements in the UK Greenhouse Gas Trading Scheme available on request. The Government intend to formally publish these details later this week.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

Margaret Beckett: The UK Emissions Trading Scheme went live on 2 April with the opening of the innovative, web-based Emissions Trading Registry, which records the transfer of allowances from buyer to seller. A number of trades have already taken place.
	A total of 34 organisations successfully joined the Scheme through a competitive auction held in March. In return for taking on legally binding emissions reduction targets, these organisations will each receive a share of the financial incentive that the Government are making available over the five years of the Scheme. They can choose to meet their annual targets by reducing emissions themselves or by buying surplus allowances from other participating organisations. To date, over 50 other organisations have opened trading accounts so that they can buy and sell allowances.
	We expect the volume of trades and number of participants to increase in the autumn and beyond when participation in the Scheme widens as some of the 6,000 companies in Climate Change Agreements begin buying allowances to enable them to meet their targets or selling any over-achievement to other participants. Projects that produce quantified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will also be able, in time and subject to prior approval from the Government, to earn credits that can then be traded through the Scheme.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will state the baselines for the average emissions in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 for each of the direct participants of the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Direct participants in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are currently in the process of having their baseline emissions independently verified by organisations accredited for this specific purpose by the UK Accreditation Service. These independent verification organisations will provide the Government with a verified baseline (an average of emissions in 1998–2000 unless there are regulatory requirements to take into account) for each direct participant. Once they have done so, the Government will make the baseline emissions for each direct participant publicly available. The Government expect to publish the first independently verified baselines at the end of this month. They will be available on www.defra.gov.uk/etr.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the direct participants of the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002 fall under (a) integrated pollution control and (b) the flare consents regime for offshore installations; and what reduction in emissions for these companies is stipulated by the conditions set in their IPC authorisations and flare consents.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Three direct participants (DuPont UK Ltd, Ineos Fluor Ltd and Rhodia Organique Fine Ltd) in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme are subject to regulation under Integrated Pollution Control, and two (British Petroleum plc and Shell UK Ltd) that are subject to the Department of Trade and Industry's flare consent regime. The terms of these regulatory requirements under IPC are already available on the public register at the following local Environment Agency offices: Coverdale House, York for DuPont, Richard Fairclough House, Warrington for Ineos Fluor and Rivers House, Bridgewater for Rhodia. The 2002 flare consents for British Petroleum installations and fields in the Emissions Trading Scheme allow 1,132.55 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day. For Shell, the comparable number is 698.17 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day.

GM Crops

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to develop mechanisms (a) to prevent an increase in GM presence in conventional seeds and produce and (b) to prevent GM contamination of organic seeds and produce; and with whom this responsibility lies.

Michael Meacher: The European Union has agreed interim measures to limit adventitious presence of approved GMOs in non-GM seeds to 0.5 per cent. More specific proposals are under discussion within the European Union. These would set cross-pollination thresholds ranging from 0.3 per cent. to 0.7 per cent. (depending on the species) in seed, in order broadly to keep GM presence in the resulting produce below the 1 per cent. threshold set for food. The Government are also considering what measures might be required to facilitate the co-existence of ordinary (non-seed) GM and non-GM crops and who should be responsible for such measures. For seed production, the grower of the seed crop is normally responsible for observing rules to achieve the desired level of seed purity. With organic seeds and produce, as with conventional seeds and produce, it is not possible to guarantee that GM cross-pollination will not occur, but we would like to aim for the lowest practical level, bearing in mind relevant factors, including the need to protect non-GM produce, the views of stakeholders, the practicalities of detection at low levels, and the costs involved.

Climate Change

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the external organisations set up by her as part of the Government's strategy to combat climate changes indicating (a) their remits and (b) their sources at funding.

Michael Meacher: The Department, together with the Devolved Administrations, set up the Carbon Trust in April 2001. It is a private, not for profit organisation whose remit is to recycle around £100 million of climate change levy receipts over three years to accelerate the take up of cost effective, low carbon technologies by business and levy payers. It receives funding from my Department and the Devolved Administrations.
	In 1997, the Department also established the UK Climate Impacts Programme to help the public and private sector assess the impacts of climate change and plan how to adapt to it. We currently provide around £0.5 million a year to fund the (UKCIP).
	Many other organisations from both the private and public sectors also assist the Government with it's climate change strategy. These include the Emissions Trading Group, the Climate Change Projects Office, the Energy Saving Trust, the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, the Tyndall Centre, and more besides.

European Environmental Directives

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has collated in respect of the time taken to implement European environmental directives since May 1997.

Michael Meacher: The table lists environment directives published since May 1997 alongside their transposition or expected transposition date.
	
		
			 Directive number  Title Published in official journal Expected transposition date  Transposed 
		
		
			 97/49 The conservation of birds 29 July 1997 — 29 July 1997 
			 97/62 The conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora 27 October 1997 — 30 January 1998 
			 98/11 Energy labelling of household lamps 27 January 1998 — 1 July 1999 
			 98/15 Amending Council Directive 91/271/EEC with respect to certain requirements established in Annex 1 thereof (Urban waste water treatment) 27 February 1998 — 27 August 1998 
			 98/83 Water Intended for Human Consumption 3 November 1998 September 2002 — 
			 99/9 Energy labelling household dishwashers 26 February 1999 — 8 July 1999 
			 99/13 Solvents 11 March 1999 December 2002 — 
			 99/22 Keeping Wild Animals in Zoos 29 March 1999 May 2003 — 
			 99/30 Limit Values of Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen 22 April 1999 1 May 2002 — 
			 99/31 Disposal of Waste by Landfill 26 April 1999 June 2002 — 
			 99–32 Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels 26 April 1999 — 11 March 2002 
			 99/51 The marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations 26 May 1999 November 2002 — 
			 2000/55 Energy efficiency requirements for ballasts for fluorescent lighting 18 September 2000 21 May 2002 — 
			 2000/60 Establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. 23 October 2000 December 2003 — 
			 2000/76 Incineration of Waste 4 December 2000 December 2002 — 
			 2001/18 Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC 12 March 2001 17 October 2002 — 
			 2001/80/EC Limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants 23 October 2001 27 November 2002 — 
			 2001/81/EC National emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants 23 October 2001 27 November 2002 — 
			 2002/3/EC Ozone in ambient air 12 February 2002 9 September 2003 — 
			 2002/31/EC Energy Labelling of household air conditioners 22 March 2002 1 January 2003 —

Marine Conservation

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost is of her Department's two-year pilot project for regional marine conservation in the North sea.

Michael Meacher: The Department has a service level agreement with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to carry out the regional seas pilot in the Irish sea. The project should be completed by March 2004 and is planned to cost £397,200.

Noise Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of noise pollution in the London borough of Havering.

Michael Meacher: No specific assessment has been made of environmental noise across the whole of the London borough of Havering. The Government announced in their Rural White Paper (November 2000) the decision to consult on a national ambient noise strategy. The consultation on the development of this strategy—Towards a National Ambient Noise Strategy—closed on 15 March this year, the results of which will be published in due course. A significant contribution to the development of the strategy will be the determination of exposure to environmental noise through noise mapping. The London borough of Havering will be considered in this exercise.

Endangered Species

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the World Wildlife Fund about the protection of endangered species; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 16 April 2002
	The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have contacted me about the trade in endangered species twice in recent months.
	The first was to ask me to jointly fund with them an officer at TRAFFIC International to help support wildlife law enforcement in the UK. I was pleased to agree to this and we are making £50,000 available over the next two years.
	The second enclosed a copy of the report 'Traded to Extinction?' launching WWF's illegal wildlife trade campaign. I will be meeting WWF to discuss their concerns about this shortly.

Waste Disposal

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what radioactive and toxic waste was dumped in the Irish sea from 1 May 2001 to 28 February 2002; what the origin of this radioactive and toxic waste was; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The UK ceased all sea dumping of radioactive waste in 1982, and all sea dumping of industrial waste in 1992. The only material now licensed for disposal at sea is dredged sediment from ports, harbours etc., and small amounts of fish waste. All such disposal is rigorously controlled under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to ensure that the marine environment and ecosystems are protected.

Farm Waste

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will publish the DEFRA consultation paper on farm waste.

Michael Meacher: We are preparing the regulations necessary to apply the provisions of the Waste Framework Directive to those types of agricultural waste which are not excluded from control under Article 2. A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is also being prepared. On completion, the draft regulations and RIA will be issued for consultation with the farming industry and other interested groups. A firm date for publication of the consultation paper has not yet been set but our aim is to publish it later in the spring. I will ensure that a copy of the consultation paper is sent to the hon. Member when it is issued.

Sellafield

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to reduce radioactive waste from the British Nuclear Fuels, Sellafield plant.

Margaret Beckett: All radioactive discharges from the UK are within national and international dose constraints. The UK has made substantial progress in reducing these discharges over the last 25 years. Discharges now are less than 1 per cent. of what they were then. In making these reductions we have concentrated on the most harmful radionuclides. However, we accept that more needs to be done to deliver further reductions.
	At a ministerial meeting of the OSPAR Commission at Sintra, Portugal in 1998, OSPAR members including the UK undertook to reduce radioactive discharges. Contracting parties must produce national plans by 1 July 2002 showing how they are going to achieve these reductions. The UK Radioactive Discharges Strategy will demonstrate how we are going to meet the targets for reducing radioactive discharges agreed at Sintra. The UK consulted about its draft strategy in June 2000 and we intend to publish the final version in time to meet the July 2002 deadline. Copies of the strategy will be placed in the House of Commons Library. We have also consulted on draft guidance to the Environment Agency which will help ensure that decisions on discharge authorisations for nuclear licensed sites in England are consistent with the UK strategy.
	The Environment Agency has also carried out a public consultation on its review of Sellafield authorisations. The agency will put its recommendations to Ministers later this year. The agency carried out a fast-track review of Technetium-99 discharges ahead of the main Sellafield review. Their recommendations are currently with DEFRA and DoH Ministers for consideration.

Rhinoceros

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the threat to the rhinoceros population in Zimbabwe from illegal poaching.

Michael Meacher: Most rhinoceros species are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This means that international trade in wild-taken rhinos and their products is prohibited. The UK goes further, however, in that it has banned trade in all raw rhino horn from whatever source.
	My officials have contacted the CITES Secretariat who confirm that although there are reports of an increase in poaching in general in Zimbabwe, they do not have any detailed information to support this. While there may be an increased risk of poaching, there is as yet no evidence to indicate that this is leading to a decline in rhino populations. We will keep the situation under review.

Local Agenda 21

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the implementation of Local Agenda 21; what steps her Department is taking to promote its introduction by local authorities; and to what extent agreements on Local Agenda 21 signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 have been enacted.

Michael Meacher: In June 1997 the Prime Minister set a target for all local authorities in the UK to adopt Local Agenda 21 strategies by the year 2000. A Government Office survey showed that 93 per cent. of local authorities met this target.
	The Local Government Act 2000 placed a duty on local authorities to prepare a community strategy for promoting or improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area and contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom. The Government want to see sustainable development become a mainstream issue for local authorities, their partners, and local communities. It believes that the most effective way to achieve this is to subsume Local Agenda 21 strategies within community strategies.
	The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions have introduced a Best Value Performance Indicator to report on local authorities' progress with community strategies. A survey of English and Welsh Authorities by the Local Government Association in autumn 2001 found that, of the 67 per cent. which responded, 27 per cent. of authorities had developed a strategy. Of those yet to develop a strategy, nearly 80 per cent. said they would have one by March 2002, and the remainder would be published by March 2003.

Packaging Waste

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 3 April 2002, Official Report, column 1027W, on packaging waste, when the percentage levels of (a) business packaging waste recovery and (b) business packaging recycling in the United Kingdom in 2001 will be published.

Michael Meacher: We aim to publish the figures within the next week.

Lead Shot

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the consultation on the recommendations of the Lead Shot Legislation (England) Review Group; and whether it is her policy that its proposals for changes to legislation should be implemented.

Michael Meacher: The Department has conducted a consultation exercise on the proposals put forward by the Lead Shot Legislation (England) Review Group. Over 1,800 consultation papers were issued. The response rate was low. The report contained proposals for some changes to the site list in Schedule 1 of the Lead Shot Legislation 1999, removing some sites not considered important for waterfowl and adding others which were considered important. It also contained proposals for the removal of Common Snipe and Golden Plover from Schedule 2. No respondents disagreed with the recommendations. The amendments recommended will therefore be implemented by Statutory Instrument under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in due course.

Moduletron

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to public funds of implementing in full the proposals for moduletron contained in the report of the Policy Commission on Farming and Food.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 10 April 2002
	In discussion with stakeholders, others in Government and the devolved administrations, DEFRA is considering the implications of the Policy Commission's proposals on modulation very carefully. The table below provides preliminary estimates, for the three years starting 2003–04, of the costs in England if the rate of modulation were increased as the Policy Commission propose. Any decision on whether to adjust the rate of modulation is subject to the Spending Review.
	
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Modulation rate currently proposed (%) 3.5 3.5 4.5 
			 Government match-funding(1) (£ million)(2) 45 47 59 
			 Modulation rate proposed by Policy Commission (%) 3.5 10 10 
			 Government match-funding(1) (£ million)(2) 45 124 133 
			 Additional match-funding required if Policy Commission proposals adopted in full (£ million) 0 77 74 
		
	
	(1) Assuming 100 per cent. match-funding.
	(2) Note that these estimates are based on forecasts of subsidy receipts and are therefore subject to some uncertainty—for example future euro-sterling exchange rates (the rate used here is Euro 1 = £0.62)

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation she undertook, and with whom, prior to determining the methodology for designating nitrate vulnerable zones.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Since adopting the Nitrates Directive in 1991, the Government have consulted extensively on all aspects of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone designation:
	1992: First consultation on methodology for identifying NVZ areas in England and Wales;
	1993: Second consultation on methodology for identifying NVZ areas in England and Wales;
	1994: Consultation on proposed NVZ areas in England and Wales;
	1995: Consultation on proposed Action Programme measures to apply in NVZ areas in England and Wales
	1997: Consultation on draft regulations establishing Action Programme measures to apply in NVZ areas in England and Wales;
	2002: Consultation on completing implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England.
	All farmers potentially affected by each round of proposed designations have been invited to participate, as well as a broad range of stakeholder organisations.

Air Pollutants

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures the Government have put in place to reduce the levels of the air pollutants (a) sulpher dioxide, (b) NOx and (c) PM 1 0 .

Michael Meacher: Levels of all three pollutants have reduced significantly in recent years as emissions from industry and road transport have fallen. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory shows that emissions of each pollutant fell by the following amounts between 1990 and 1999 (the latest year for which figures are available).
	
		Kilotonnes 
		
			 Pollutant Emissions in 1990 Emissions in 1999 Percentage reduction 
		
		
			 Sulphur dioxide 3,754 1,187 68 
			 Oxides of Nitrogen 2,760 1,605 42 
			 Particles (PM 1  0 ) 305 186 39 
		
	
	In respect of sulphur dioxide, the most significant emissions reductions in recent years have come about as a result of changes in industrial practices as well as the regulatory controls we have imposed. We estimate, for example, that fuel switching from coal to gas in power stations (which began in 1992–93) has reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by one million tonnes from what it might otherwise have been. We also estimate that the fitting of flue gas desulphurisation to two large coal power stations in 1993–94 has reduced emissions by 0.2 million tonnes; and that the use of lower-sulphur coal has reduced emissions by about 0.15 million tonnes.In respect of particles and oxides of nitrogen, the most significant contribution has come from the reductions in road transport emissions which are largely the result of the progressively tighter European Union standards for new motor vehicles and fuels. The introduction of three way catalysts on petrol vehicles in the early 1990s, for example, is estimated to have reduced emissions of oxides of nitrogen in 1999 by about 30 per cent. compared to what emissions might otherwise have been. Improvements in diesel vehicle technology have also made a significant contribution to reducing emissions of oxides of nitrogen and particles. The UK Government have helped to incentivise the early uptake of clean fuels (such as ultra-low-sulphur diesel and petrol) by setting preferential duty rates for them.

Organic Pollutants

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with regard to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Michael Meacher: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted on 22 May 2001 and has 124 signatories. To come into force 50 countries need to ratify, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has set a target of 2004 at the latest. The Convention has been ratified by five countries, with work on ratification in progress in others including the UK. However, the use of all ten intentionally produced chemicals currently listed in the Convention has already been banned here.
	In June UNEP will convene a sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which developed the Convention, to oversee implementation of international action during the interim period and to prepare for the first Conference of the Parties after entry into force.

Sustainable Development

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library copies of the (a) United Kingdom submissions and (b) submissions by other nations relevant to United Kingdom policies on sustainable development, made to the preparatory meeting in New York for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Michael Meacher: At the Third Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the UK Government worked with European Union partners in order to submit a joint EU position to the Chair. The submission addressed the Chair's document which was tabled at the end of the Second Preparatory Committee on 12 February. A copy of the document will be placed in the Library.

Sustainable Development

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government plan to take (a) nationally, (b) Europe-wide and (c) internationally towards launching a mechanism to promote and develop international objectives for sustainable development in Johannesburg.

Michael Meacher: The Government are working with their partners nationally, in Europe and internationally towards the development of proposals for the Johannesburg Summit that focus on the practical implementation of international sustainable development objectives. In particular we want to see a specific action programme agreed on resource efficiency, freshwater and sanitation, oceans, energy supply, sustainable development in Africa and to improve international governance. The UK has five initiatives in hand on energy, freshwater, forestry, finance, and tourism. We are urgently discussing with partners, especially within the EU, whether any of these could form an input into large scale global projects.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Press Office

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department's press office have received (a) termination and (b) redundancy payments in each of the last four years.

Ben Bradshaw: None.

Equal Opportunities

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved.

Ben Bradshaw: No policy appraisal baseline has yet been established, other than the existing personnel-related targets for diversity. The FCO diversity strategy agreed in January 2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, sets out the strategic requirement to consult widely on the UK domestic implications of foreign policy. Action plans are under development as a result, including the future development of an appropriate cross-cutting structure for mainstreaming equality in foreign policy development.

Equal Opportunities

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by his Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published.

Ben Bradshaw: No gender impact assessments have yet been drawn up by the FCO. The FCO diversity strategy agreed in January 2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, sets out the strategic requirement to consult widely on the UK domestic implications of foreign policy. Action plans are under development as a result, including developing wider ideas for extending the FCO's consultative network.

Equal Opportunities

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since August 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The FCO routinely monitors data on gender, race, disability and age as part of its diversity monitoring process. No new data series have been commissioned since August 1997.

Justices of the Peace

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff at his Department are justices of the peace; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become justices of the peace.

Ben Bradshaw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no strategy to encourage members of its staff to become justices of the peace. However, in accordance with section 50 of the Employee Rights Act 1996 (ERA), Heads of Department may grant special paid leave to officers required to attend court as justices of the peace. No central records are kept of which staff have been appointed to such positions, nor of leave granted to enable them to fulfil their duties.

Israel

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration the United Kingdom has given, in consort with European Union partners, to establishing sanctions against Israel, until Israel implements United Nations resolutions in full.

Ben Bradshaw: We are not aware of any formal proposal for the EU to consider sanctions. The idea of sanctions has been discussed before but there has not been a consensus in favour. The Government's view is that we should at this stage focus on achieving a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas.

Israel

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Israel in respect of the use of British-supplied military vehicles by the Israeli army in its invasion of the Palestinian territories in March and April.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell) on 15 April 2002, Official Report, columns 722–23W.

Staff Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost in 2001–02 was of the pay increase to staff in his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible; and what the cost of the forthcoming increase will be in 2002–03.

Ben Bradshaw: In 2001–02 the figure for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £4.5 million. For the British Council the figure was £0.93 million. The increase for our agency, Wilton Park, was £153,000. Information on our four other, much smaller, NDPBs is currently not available. I will write to the hon. Member shortly about them.
	The pay increase for 2002–03 has not yet been agreed.

Entry Clearance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to clear the backlog of cases being sent by entry clearance officers.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not clear from the question to which backlog, if any, that my hon. Friend refers. I should be grateful for clarification of this and will ensure that my hon. Friend receives an early response.

Entry Clearance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  when the appeal proposed in the case of Baljides Singh (post ref 819403/0115-New Delhi) arrived in London;
	(2)  on what date the explanatory statement in the case of Mr. Fuzal-Ur-Rahman post ref: ISB-/E4525 arrived from Islamabad in London.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum. I will write to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East about this case in the next few days.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts his Department has with consultants; what level of professional indemnity insurance is standard in contracts with small consultants; whether he can make exceptions to the level of professional indemnity insurance; and what recent discussions he has had with other Government Departments about the level of professional indemnity insurance.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 18 April 2002
	Information on the number of contracts with consultants could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Decisions regarding the appropriate level of professional indemnity insurance are taken on a case-by- case basis. A common indemnity insurance limit for small consultancy work is £500,000. As with previous Administrations under exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of discussions which form part of the process of policy development and analysis.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has obtained an undertaking from the Government of Spain to abide by the results of referendums held in Gibraltar on its future status.

Peter Hain: The Government of Spain are fully aware of the public statements made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers that in the event of the people of Gibraltar rejecting any joint proposals put forward by Britain and Spain, Her Majesty's Government will continue to stand by the people of Gibraltar politically, legally and morally. This is not a matter for negotiation with Spain.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals are being discussed with his Spanish counterpart in relation to the future status of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the Foreign Secretary's statement in answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 735.

Civil Service (Recruitment)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what percentage of policy entrants were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what percentage of the diplomatic service both operational and policy were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what percentage of operational entrants were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Policy entrants 
			 Percentage from Oxbridge 48 65 44 57 
			 Percentage from independent schools 64 61 60 64 
			  
			 Operational entrants 
			 Percentage from Oxbridge 6 7 4 4 
			 Percentage from independent schools 24 37 33 37 
		
	
	The recruitment section records Oxford and Cambridge jointly and records school information as independent (which includes public schools) or comprehensive. These figures are published in the departmental report.

General Affairs Council

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason no devolved administration Minister attended the 4121 European Union Council of Ministers (General) meeting on 15 April; which suggestions and matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation; and what information and evidence was provided by his Department to enable effective post-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Peter Hain: Decisions on Ministerial attendance at Council meetings are taken on a case-by-case basis by the lead UK Minister. The Foreign Secretary attended this meeting, representing all parts of the UK.
	It is the responsibility of the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the Scottish Executive's involvement in preparations for and follow-up to EU Council meetings. These arrangements are a matter for the Committee and the Scottish Executive. This Department provides information to Scottish Executive officials as part of that process.

Departmental Staff

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff left the service of his Department and its agencies in the year ended 31 March 2001; how many left before attaining the formal retirement age of 60 years; and in respect of how many his Department and its agencies assumed responsibilities for making payments until retirement age.

Ben Bradshaw: 314 staff left the department between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001. 56 people left before their formal retirement age. This Department is still making annual compensation payments to 49 of those until they reach formal retirement age.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sunset Clauses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Bills introduced by her Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans she has for the future use of such clauses.

Clare Short: In the last five years the Department for International Development has introduced the Commonwealth Development Corporation Bill (in 1998) and the International Development Bill (in 2001). Neither contained sunset clauses. The Department has no current plans for future legislation.

Overseas Projects

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice core contract.

Clare Short: Our contract with the International Business Leaders Forum to support the Resource Centre was awarded in 1999 following a competitive tendering process. The contract will end shortly. It has contributed to understanding of the role of business in poverty elimination and has also established a valuable business and poverty database.

Overseas Projects

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Mine Action Programme 2000 in the former Yugoslavia;
	(2)  what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Mine Action Programme in Yugoslavia.

Clare Short: All DFID's programmes in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia are subject to regular in-country monitoring by DFID's humanitarian mines adviser. We are satisfied that these programmes represent good value for money.
	The Mine Action Programme for FRY Kosovo has been the subject of an independent evaluation for the UN by the PRAXIS Group Ltd., an international management consulting firm. The summary of the report concluded the mine action programme in Kosovo was a resounding success. The UK Government were also praised for responding quickly and effectively to the mines threat in Kosovo. The UK-funded part of the Kosovo programme was completed using a combination of NGO and commercial demining organisations which were selected on the basis of competency and value for money considerations. In the case of commercial organisations these were selected on a system of competitive tendering.
	In Bosnia the UK contribution to demining is made through an international trust fund. The UN oversees the fund and the UK's ambassador sits on the fund's advisory board. Contracts for demining are let on the basis of competitive bidding open to both commercial organisations and NGOs.
	In Croatia and Macedonia DFID made contributions to the UN system for mine clearance, awareness and support for capacity building. Contracts awarded by the UN are subject to their internal systems for competitive bidding and value for money considerations.

Catering Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 341W, on catering services, for what reason there were increases from 1999 to 2000 of £44,767.18 and £6,935.57 in the costs of in-house canteen services and catering services, respectively.

Clare Short: The increase of £44,767.18 was largely due to the refurbishment and redecoration of the staff restaurant in our London offices at the start of 2000, involving the purchase of new catering equipment (freezers, cold counter and dishwasher), carpets and furniture. In addition, subsidies paid to catering contractors increased by £6,800 per annum in our East Kilbride office and by £7,300 per annum in London. The increase of £6,935.57 in catering services was a result of greater usage of hospitality services (i.e. teas, coffees, buffets etc.) on offer at both locations, principally as a result of the contractors advertising the facility more widely, coupled with a sharp increase in the number of meetings being held in both locations.

Arms Proliferation

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her written answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 885W, if she will list the projects which constitute her Department's programme that seeks to reduce the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons; and in which countries each of these projects operates.

Clare Short: The United Kingdom is committed to combating small arms availability and misuse. In partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, my Department has established a comprehensive UK Small Arms and Light Weapons Reduction Programme. Over the next three years we will allocate a minimum of £19.5 million to UN agencies, regional organisations, Governments and non-governmental organisations seeking to develop and implement local, national, regional and international measures to combat small arms problems. The table lists the programmes which the Small Arms and Light Weapons Reduction Programme has supported.
	
		
			 Programmes Countries 
		
		
			 Global  
			 UNDP: Small Arms Project: Weapons Collection, Management and Destruction Global 
			 Small Arms Survey: Research and Analysis Global 
			 International Action Network on Small Arms Regional and Global Network Development Programme Global 
			 Geneva Forum meeting in preparation for the UN Conference Global 
			 Funding the participation of experts from developing countries in the UN Conference on Small Arms Global 
			 Saferworld: Programme to Stem the Proliferation of Small Arms Europe, east Africa, southern Africa, central, south and south-east Asia 
			 International Alert: Monitoring and Implementing the Small Arms Light Weapons Controls Europe, Latin America, west Africa 
			   
			 Regional  
			 The African Conference on the Implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms: Needs and Partnerships Africa wide 
			 SaferAfrica: Arms Management and Disarmament Africa wide 
			 Latin America and Caribbean Initiatives on Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects Latin America 
			 United Nations Regional Centre for Peace Disarmament and Development in Latin America and Caribbean: Implementing the OAS Convention Latin America 
			 Sub-regional  
			 Viva Rio—Reducing Small Arms and Light Weapons Impact: Civil Society Participation in Security Sector Reform within Mercado Commun Del Sur Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, Uruguay 
			 The Nairobi Secretariat: Implementing the Nairobi Declaration East Africa, the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa 
			 Security Research and Information Centre (SRIC) Controlling Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Regions and the Horn of Africa East Africa, the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa 
			 HMG support for combating small arms problems in Central and Eastern Europe Central and eastern Europe 
			   
			 National  
			 Tanzania National Action Plan for Arms Management and Disarmament Tanzania

Government Funding

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Mr. Selous) of 25 January 2002, Official Report, columns 1185–6W, on Government funding of the voluntary sector, if she will list the grant schemes and other mechanisms by which her Department distributes funding to voluntary sector organisations.

Clare Short: The principal funding mechanisms we use to support voluntary sector organisations and civil society more generally are as follows:
	Partnership Programme Agreements (PPAs): strategic level agreements, which set an overall framework for DFID's work with the organisation linked to strategic funding.
	Civil Society Challenge Fund: open to UK based organisations working in partnership with organisations in developing countries.
	Development Awareness Fund: open to any UK based organisations for work to raise awareness and understanding of development issues.
	In addition, DFID supports specific programmes or activities of voluntary organisations through its regional programmes, as well as, for example, our conflict and humanitarian aid budget. Voluntary organisations can also benefit from some of DFID's research funds, for example the Engineering Knowledge and Research programme. DFID funding for UK-based non-governmental organisations is typically close to £200 million per year.

Complaints

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many complaints were registered against her Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the parliamentary ombudsman in those periods.

Clare Short: Detailed records of all complaints made against the Department are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of cases taken up by the parliamentary ombudsman are contained in the ombudsman's annual reports, which are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Public Spending

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on how the public spending plans of her Department have been affected by the Budget.

Clare Short: DFID's budget for 2002–03 remains as announced in the 2000 Spending Review. Allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06 will be determined through the 2002 Spending Review over the next few months.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to tackle disorder and antisocial behaviour in the north-west.

Angela Eagle: The Government are taking urgent action to tackle antisocial behaviour and disorder across the country and in the north-west. This includes the new measures contained in the Police Reform Bill as well as action by Crime and Disorder Partnerships with young people to divert them away from crime and nuisance crime.

Antisocial Behaviour

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour.

John Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), earlier to the similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle).

Antisocial Behaviour

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been approved in Lancashire; and what recent representations he has received on their implementation.

John Denham: From the introduction of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) in April 1999 to the end of September 2001 (the last point to which data are available), 16 orders had been granted in Lancashire.
	A number of individuals and groups have made representations on the implementation of antisocial behaviour orders. They have been taken into account in formulating improved guidance for practitioners, which is being prepared, and the legislative changes proposed in the Police Reform Bill which include the introduction of interim ASBOs to stop antisocial behaviour more quickly; enabling county courts to make ASBOs in particular circumstances and empowering registered social landlords and the British Transport Police to apply directly for ASBOs to deal with the particular problems of antisocial behaviour they face.

Police Patrols

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he collates on the proportion of police officers involved in patrolling public places on (a) foot and (b) in vehicles.

Angela Eagle: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary collects data on the proportion of police officers who are predominately assigned to operational patrol in uniform, either on foot or in a vehicle (including bicycles and motor cycles). Traffic and motorway patrols and dog sections are excluded from these figures. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's data do not differentiate between time spent patrolling on foot or in vehicles.
	In 2000–01, 48.3 per cent. of police officers in England and Wales were assigned to operational patrol. For Hertfordshire, 54.3 per cent. of officers were assigned to this function.
	However, we know from the PA Consulting report, "Diary of a Police Officer", that too much time is spent in the police station on paperwork. We are determined to find a solution to this so that officers can spend more time out of the station.

Police Stations

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of police stations in fighting crime.

Angela Eagle: It is important that the police service responds to the needs of the public by being accessible and visible. Strategic location of police stations as part of a whole range of methods of police presence, is key to this approach .
	This year we have allocated to police authorities £179 million grant and credit approval for capital expenditure with a further £20 million to be allocated specifically for premises renewal, compared with £157 million in total last year.

Police Housing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on the sale of dedicated police housing by police authorities.

Angela Eagle: The management of police property is entirely a matter for police authorities. Decisions relating to the sale of housing and other properties are not ones in which Ministers have any power to intervene. I would expect police authorities to take likely future needs into account when considering what approach offers best value.
	The Audit Commission in its report entitled "Action Stations Improving the Management of the Police Estate" recommended that police forces identify and dispose of buildings that were unsuitable or had maintenance liabilities which were beyond the forces' means and rationalise their remaining estate.

Trial Delays

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to reduce delays in bringing criminal cases to trial.

Keith Bradley: The Government have introduced a number of procedural reforms to ensure that criminal cases are brought before the courts with the minimum of delay. These include bringing charged cases before magistrates courts at the first available hearing; sending indictable only cases straight to the Crown court following first appearance in the magistrates court; and reducing by more than half the time taken to deal with persistent young offenders from arrest to sentence (from 142 days to 67 by December 2001).
	Looking ahead, the Government are also formulating a set of exacting targets to further reduce delay; running pilot schemes involving extended court sitting hours and closer Crown Prosecution Service/police liaison prior to charge.
	Her Majesty's chief inspectors of the Court Service and the Crown Prosecution Service are also conducting a national inspection of listing, to seek to identify how courts can manage their case loads most efficiently, and we look forward to making use of their findings and recommendations in order to make continued progress in reducing delay.

Police Initiatives

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the number of initiatives and targets in relation to the police since 1997.

John Denham: Since 1997, the police in England and Wales have been involved in a number of initiatives. Some relate only to the police, while others, such as the introduction of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, bring together a number of partners to concentrate on those issues of greatest concern to the communities they serve.
	Police authorities are required to set targets for reductions in domestic burglary, vehicle crime and, in five major cities, robbery. This month the Street Crime Action Team was set up to help deliver these robbery targets. The police service also has a key role to play in delivering Government targets relating to, for example, drug misuse and persistent young offenders.
	The House is also aware of the radical programme of work being taken forward following the White Paper "Policing a new Century", much of which is contained in the Police Reform Bill.

Entry Screening

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procedures for screening applications to enter the United Kingdom.

Angela Eagle: In 2001, 71,700 people applied for asylum on arrival in the United Kingdom. This represents an 11 per cent. fall in applications compared with a 2 per cent. fall for the European Union generally.
	Overall there were a record 118,000 decisions made with 74 per cent. refused, 9 per cent. granted asylum and 17 per cent. granted exceptional leave to remain. The backlog of undecided applications was more than halved and continues to fall.
	79 per cent. of appeals were dismissed by the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) in 2001. This is an indication that despite the increase in decision-making, the quality remains high.
	Provisionally, 9,285 principal applicants were removed in 2001, an increase of 3 per cent. on 2000 and the highest annual total on record.

Street Crime (Wandsworth)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on (a) Operating Safer Streets and (b) the Robbery Reduction Initiative as they affect London, with particular reference to the London borough of Wandsworth.

John Denham: The first phase of Operation Safer Streets, the Metropolitan police's anti-street crime initiative in London's nine worst affected boroughs, ran for eight weeks from 4 February until the end of March. The force statistics show that the operation has had a marked impact on street crime offences. In week eight of the operation, street crime allegations in the nine boroughs were 21 per cent. down on the corresponding week last year. The second phase began on 15 April and will run until March 2003. It will be extended to include a further six London boroughs, including Wandsworth.
	The Metropolitan police force area is one of the 10 areas included in the Government's wider street crime initiative, which involves a concerted response to street crime across all the criminal justice and social agencies.

Police Morale

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police morale.

John Denham: There is no established direct method of measuring the level of morale in the police service.
	We are determined to tackle those elements of police officers' working lives that can create frustration and detract from their ability to do their jobs in the way that they would wish. We are committed to investment in scientific and technological support and to reducing the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy .
	We are seeking agreement on a package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service which would leave the vast majority of officers better off. The package is now subject to conciliation in the PNB.
	We have turned around the decline in police numbers that started under the last Government. By 31 January the police service was at record strength and we are on course for our target of 130,000 officers by spring 2003.

Violent Crime

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of changes in the levels of violent crime in the last 12 months.

John Denham: The latest survey of violent crime is contained in the 2001 British Crime Survey, which indicated that violent crime fell by 19 per cent. between 1999 and 2000. Recent recorded crime statistics produced by the Metropolitan Police show a rise in recorded street robbery. That is why we have launched an initiative aimed at reducing the level of street crime in the 10 areas of England and Wales with the highest levels of street robbery. The programmes will focus on curbing the rise in street robberies and the number of illegally held weapons, as well as the adoption of fast track prosecutions to ensure that offenders are brought to justice speedily. The budget contained £180 million in new money and a further £100 million to be drawn from the Criminal Justice Reserve. These funds will be used for extra police, extra support staff, an increase in police operations and an additional 2,300 additional prison and remand places.

Juvenile Crime

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about plans to reduce crime committed by juveniles.

John Denham: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary for State for Culture, Media and Sport, and I are both members of the cross-Government action group to tackle street crime. We both fully recognise the potential of sport and the arts to divert young people from offending and we are working together to develop this.

"Secure Borders, Safe Haven" White Paper

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses he has received to his paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain"; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: We have received 330 responses to the White Paper from organisations and individuals. We will arrange for copies of the responses from organisations to be placed in the Library unless they have indicated they do not wish their responses to be published.

Street Crime

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the 10 force street crime initiative.

John Denham: The street crime initiative starts operation this month across the 10 force areas with the highest levels of robbery: Avon and Somerset, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Midlands, West Yorkshire. It involves the police in targeting offenders who commit robbery, snatch theft, carjacking and offences involving the illegal possession and use of firearms. The criminal justice'agencies will prioritise these cases to ensure that those taken off the streets by the police are dealt with quickly and effectively from arrest to disposal in specially designated street crime courts in each area. We have also strengthened the powers of the courts in the 10 areas by introducing electronic tagging to ensure that young people comply with bail conditions, and by giving magistrates enhanced powers to remand juveniles in secure accommodation.
	The initiative also brings together the resources and expertise of non criminal justice system agencies to help tackle the causes of street crime and take preventive action. The initiative will include, for example, more schemes in place involving police in schools, more truancy sweeps, better information exchange between schools, the police and social services, diversionary activities and advice and services for young people, and early access to drug treatment provision.

Community Support Officers

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will consider a further round of applications for funding for community support officers to assist the police.

John Denham: The Police Reform Bill, which is still subject to parliamentary scrutiny, contains provisions which will allow chief officers of police to designate support staff as community support officers. It will be open to police forces to choose to use this available means to employ community support officers.

Criminal Justice

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reform the criminal justice system.

Keith Bradley: The Government recognise that the criminal justice system is not working well enough on its key goals of crime reduction and justice.
	To this end the forthcoming White Paper on Criminal Justice will include a wide variety of measures to increase efficiency and effectiveness across the criminal justice system. For example, these measures will include improving the workings of the jury system; and changing the rules governing the issue of disclosure.
	We will also seek to improve the rules of evidence; and bring more persistent offenders to justice.
	The Government will be looking closely at the possibility of reforming court culture in order to support vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. This may include the establishment of a Victims' Ombudsman.
	The issue of sentencing will also be addressed to provide greater protection for the public; and include programmes designed to reduce the chance of re-offending.
	The Government intend to publish full details of these proposals in legislation later in the year.

Volunteering (Older People)

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to promote volunteering by older people.

Angela Eagle: The Government believe it is important to utilise fully the skills and talents of older people. That is why the Home Office is investing £20 million in the Experience Corps, which aims to recruit 250,000 volunteers over three years. We also provide funding for REACH, RSVP and other organisations which promote and encourage volunteering by older people. We have provided £1.5 million in funding for local and national organisations, such as Help the Aged, as part of the Older Volunteers Initiative, which addresses issues of raising quality and quantity of voluntary opportunities for older people. We are evaluating the initiative with a view to publishing the good practice it has identified.

Re-offending

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the incidence of re-offending of those sentenced to (a) community sentences and (b) fines in the last five years.

Keith Bradley: Information on re-offending rates, as opposed to reconviction rates, for persons sentenced to community sentences and fines is not collected. Re-offending rates are not normally measured as they rely on the self-reporting of offending by offenders. Such an approach can lead to questions over the reliability of data based on individuals' recollection and willingness to tell an official source about their offending behaviour.
	However, information on reconviction rates for persons convicted of a standard list offence and sentenced to a community penalty or fine is collected. The reconviction rate is normally measured over a period of two years from the commencement of the community penalty or the date a person receives a fine. The reconviction rates are shown in the table. These rates include convictions for offences committed prior to the offences for which a financial or community sentence was imposed.
	Reconviction rates for persons commencing community sentences or fined for a standard list offence and reconvicted within two years.
	
		Reconviction rates(3) for persons commencing community sentences or fined for a standard list offence and reconvicted within two years
		
			  Percentage reconvicted within two years  
			  All community penalties Persons fined 
		
		
			 1994 54 45 
			 1995 56 43 
			 1996 56 36 
			 1997 55 38 
			 1998 56 35 
		
	
	(3) Unadjusted for factors which are known to have an impact on reconviction, such as previous criminal history, age, gender, and offence.

Youth Crime

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to reduce youth crime.

John Denham: The Government are supporting a wide ranging programme which is tackling the issue of youth offending. This includes working with families through the Sure Start initiative, neighbourhoods through Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, education services through reducing exclusions and improving attendance and implementation of the 10 year drugs strategy.
	The improvements made to the youth justice system have also resulted in the tackling of delays in the system and the speeding up of justice, establishing new youth justice structures and making available expanded powers for the courts and police to use.
	Combined with the Home Secretary's recent announcement on making remand facilities available for persistent young offenders aged 12–16, a greater impetus to the use of antisocial behaviour orders by local authorities and the establishment of the London youth crime task force we are taking forward a programme which deals head on with youth crime on all fronts.

Dungavel Detention Centre

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on conditions for asylum seekers at the Dungavel detention centre.

Angela Eagle: All removal centres must provide for the safety and care of detainees in compliance with the Detention Centre Rules 2001. The rules set out the rights and responsibilities of those held in removal centres and of those who operate such centres. The contract with the Premier Custodial Group Ltd., which operates Dungavel removal centre, reflects the requirements of the rules.

Prison Suicides

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have committed suicide in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of these occurred in safe cells.

Beverley Hughes: There were 72 self-inflicted deaths of prisoners in 2001, a reduction of 11 per cent. on the year 2000. Two of these occurred in safer cells.

Public Sector Workers (Attacks)

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to prevent attacks on public sector workers.

Bob Ainsworth: Violence, threats and abuse to workers from any sector are unacceptable.
	The Health and Safety Commission has agreed a three-year programme of work (2000–03) to help employers tackle the increasing problem of work-related violence. We will be working with the Health and Safety Executive, who are responsible for implementing Commission policies, on elements of their programme to help to reduce the incidents of work-related violence.
	In addition, the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch have also been successful in securing funding under the Invest to Save Budget for Safer Hospitals and Safer Schools projects. Both projects will involve bringing together both existing and emerging technologies to deliver reductions in violent crime against staff, patients and pupils and a reduction in associated property crime.

Home Detention Curfew

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an outline statement on his Department's policy on home detention curfew for prisoners released before the end of their sentence.

Beverley Hughes: Under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme prisoners serving over three months and under four years, who pass a risk assessment, may be released up to 60 days early to spend the final part of their sentence under an electronic curfew. 46,000 prisoners have been released on the scheme since it began in January 1999. Over 93 per cent. completed the scheme successfully.
	From the beginning of May 2002, prisoners serving sentences of three months or over but under 12 months, with the exception of those convicted of violent or drugs offences within the previous three years and prisoners who have any history of sexual offending, will be released on HDC for the latter part of their sentence unless there are compelling reasons not to do so.

999 Calls

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 999 calls have been made to Suffolk Constabulary since July 1997; and how many of these calls needed an emergency police response.

John Denham: The figures are as follows:
	
		
			 1997 to 2002 Number of 999 calls made Number of these calls which needed an emergency police response 
		
		
			 1997–98 61,961 38,524 
			 1998–99 75,079 38,011 
			 1999–2000 88,740 35,795 
			 2000–01 100,203 (4)9,960 
			 2001–02 117,452 (4)9,671 
			  
			 Total 443,435 131,961 
		
	
	(4) Suffolk Constabulary changed the grading policy to respond in a more scientific way.
	Information on other aspects of Suffolk Constabulary's performance can be found in their Policing Plan 2002–03.

Tagged Offenders (Norfolk)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tagged offenders have re-offended in Norfolk following release from prison.

Beverley Hughes: The data requested are not readily available. To provide a geographical breakdown of re-offending would incur a disproportionate cost. However, less than 2 per cent. of offenders placed on the home detention curfew scheme across the country have been reported as committing a further offence. This low figure would suggest that the scheme is operating effectively.

Prisoners (Education)

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work his Department is undertaking to raise the educational achievements of serving prisoners.

Beverley Hughes: We have increased prison education funding by 15 per cent. in real terms over the next two years. We have set challenging basic skills targets for every prison. We will raise standards and learner achievement by bringing developments in mainstream provision into prisons. From April 2002, we will be ensuring that provision meets national standards by introducing the Common Inspection Framework into prisons along with a national strategy to support continuous improvement in prisons.

Football Hooligans

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives on policing Football League games in England.

John Denham: Home Office advice is provided on the legislative framework for policing football matches. Responsibility for policing matches rests with the local police ground and match commanders. Operational guidance is co-ordinated by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Football Hooligans

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals, by club, who purport to support English Nationwide and Premier League football teams are classified as football hooligans within Home Office categories.

John Denham: The information requested is not held centrally. Local police forces are responsible for monitoring and maintaining a record of the behaviour of football hooligans who associate themselves with domestic football clubs. Government, Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Criminal Intelligence Service no longer apply hooligan categories to individuals involved in football disorder. This has been replaced by a more targeted, intelligence-led approach.

Prisons (Education)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to improve reading and writing skills of those in prison.

Beverley Hughes: One of the immediate objectives of the Prisoners' Learning and Skills Unit is to increase the proportion of prisoners leaving custody with acceptable literacy and numeracy skills to help them resettle into the community and gain employment on release. The most recent basic skills Level 2 data shows that the Prison Service has achieved 14,400 qualifications in 2001–02, which is 80 per cent. of the final target. We are taking action to improve reading and writing by running basic skills pathfinder projects in seven prisons as part of a wider national project to pilot new national tests and standards, and we are developing innovative approaches to the delivery of basic skills which include using popular subjects, such as drama, art and physical education.

Passports

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why full 10-year passports are the only form of passport available.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The 10-year passport is the international standard agreed with the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The United Kingdom Passport Service also issues passports valid for five years to children aged under 16. The one-year British Visitors Passport was discontinued in 1995 because it was a less secure document and was not widely accepted for travel outside Western Europe.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Ministerial Private Offices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the running costs were of (a) her Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff and (b) her Department in each year from May 1997 to the nearest date for which the information is available.

Patricia Hewitt: The Appropriation accounts published by my Department for 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01 show total running costs for my Department and its agencies of £398 million, £419 million, £450 million and £484 million respectively.
	Of these running costs the amounts spent on Ministers' private offices were:
	£3.8 million (1997–98) of which staff costs totalled £2.27 million.
	£4.2 million (1998–99) of which staff costs totalled £2.26 million.
	£3.4 million (1999–2000) of which staff costs totalled £1.94 million.
	£3.6 million (2000–01) of which staff costs totalled £2.08 million.
	Complete data are not yet available for 2001–02.

Entertainment Costs

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how much was spent by Ministers in her Department on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for entertainment purposes in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent by departmental special advisers on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for official entertainment purposes in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The total cost of entertainment—including food, alcohol and non-alcoholic drink for each of the last five years is as follows. These figures combine total costs for Ministers' offices and special advisers.
	
		
			 Financial year Total (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 13,339 
			 1998–99 23,088 
			 1999–2000 18,202 
			 2000–01 16,319 
		
	
	Complete data are not yet available for 2001–02.

Telecommunications Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Telecommunications Council held in Brussels on 25 to 26 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 379W.

Devolution

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason no devolved Administration Minister attended the 2417 European Union Council of Ministers (Research) meeting on 11 March; which suggestions and matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation; and what information and evidence was provided by her Department to enable effective post-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Patricia Hewitt: There was no requirement for a devolved Administration Minister to attend the Council of Ministers research meeting on 11 March. No suggestions or matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation. In developing the UK Government's position on European research issues, the Office of Science and Technology regularly consults the devolved Administrations. It is the responsibility of the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the Scottish Executive's involvement in EU Council meetings. These arrangements are a matter for the Committee and the Scottish Executive. My Department provides information to Scottish Executive officials as part of that process.

Post Office Network

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) warrants and (b) cheques for each benefit were cashed in the post office network in each year since 1997.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 18 April 2002
	This is a matter which falls within the day to day responsibility of Consignia and I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Sub-post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the sub-post offices which have closed since May 1997, indicating for each (a) whether it is rural or urban, (b) whether it is in an area of deprivation and (c) the distance to and name of the nearest sub-post office to that which closed.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 18 April 2002
	This is a matter that falls within the day to day responsibility of Consignia and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Bank Holidays (Payment)

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of employees who do not receive payment for bank holidays.

Alan Johnson: The Autumn 2001 Labour Force Survey indicates that 17 per cent. of workers are not paid for bank holidays.

SEEDA

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether SEEDA has undertaken an audit of the infrastructure needs of the communities of the North Kent Coast, with particular reference to the constituency of Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

Alan Johnson: SEEDA has funded the preparation of an Area Investment Framework for the Thames Gateway in north Kent. This covers includes Sittingbourne and Sheppey at the eastern end of the area. The work includes an audit of infrastructure needs. The Area Investment Framework will be launched at a conference held in Gravesend on 23 April, and thereafter will be carried forward by the Thames Gateway Kent Partnership.

Radioactive Waste Research

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the priorities in respect of radioactive waste research set out in the European Commission's Multi-Annual Framework Programme for Research, COM (2001) 94 Final.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are playing an active role in the negotiations on the content and priorities of the Multi-Annual Framework Programme 2002–06 of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) for research and training, in order to ensure that it reflects UK priorities as far as possible. Radioactive waste research at an EU level will complement research in the UK into the wider range of waste management options described in the consultation document "Managing Radioactive Waste Safely" issued in September last year.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

HSE

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what technical support contracts were awarded by the Health and Safety Executive between 1 January and 31 December 1999.

Alan Whitehead: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

HSE

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 983W, on HSE, what technical support services were provided by each of the suppliers referred to in annexe 1 under the framework agreement.

Alan Whitehead: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Service Agreement

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what public service agreement targets were due to be met by his Department by 31 March; how many of these have been met; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report.

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people employed by the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits.

Alan Whitehead: Information on the New Deal programmes is not collected centrally for non- departmental public bodies and therefore this is a matter for individual NDPBs.

Foreign Seafarers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure the enforcement and application of international conventions covering pay, conditions, welfare, social security and other rights of foreign seafarers on UK ships.

David Jamieson: International conventions are applied to UK and foreign seafarers alike on UK ships, in line with our understanding of the requirements of those conventions and they are enforced accordingly. Social security issues are, however, a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to make 1 million more buildings cheaper to keep warm through the installation of energy efficient measures by 31 March will be met.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 departmental report.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to increase the number of passenger miles travelled on national railways by 15 per cent. by 2001–02 will be met.

Alan Whitehead: pursuant to his reply, 10 April 2002, c. 90–91W
	Information about progress on this PSA will not be published in the Department's annual report. We expect the final outturn figures to show growth of about 12 per cent. Following the accident at Hatfield there was a 5 per cent. decline in passenger kilometres, which has only recently been recovered. The passenger kilometre figures for 2001–02 will be published by the Strategic Rail Authority in "National Rail Trends" on 6 June.

Use Classes/Temporary Use Provisions

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to take account of the views of local authorities, other organisations and individuals who have requested copies of his Department's consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions but to whom his Department has been unable to supply copies;
	(2)  how many copies of his Department's consultation document on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions were (a) printed, (b) distributed by his Department to its list of consultees and (c) kept by his Department for distribution on request to interested organisations and members of the public;
	(3)  when his Department ran out of copies for distribution of its consultation document on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions;
	(4)  many requests have been made to his Department for copies of the consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions; how many of those requests were refused because the Department had no copies in stock; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Our consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Use Provisions was published on 24 January 2002. Initially, a total of 3,519 copies of the consultation paper were printed. Of these, 2,125 were distributed by my Department to listed consultees. 1,300 were allocated for distribution on request to interested organisations and members of the public.
	Approximately 540 orders have been taken. Since the initial stock of documents ran out on 15 March, an additional 66 orders have been taken. Another 500 copies of the paper have been printed to fulfil these orders and to accommodate further orders.
	In addition to the paper copies of the consultation paper, it has been available on our website at www.dtlr.gov.uk since 24 January.
	Following the end of the consultation period on 24 April 2002, we shall consider the views of all those who have responded before making any decisions on the future composition of the Use Classes Order and temporary use provisions.

Rough Sleeping

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 734W, on rough sleeping, if he will list those local strategies for which his Department has committed funding for 2002–03, and the relevant criteria for those strategies.

Sally Keeble: All local housing authorities in England have been given the opportunity to bid for revenue funding from 1 July 2002 until 31 March 2003 to support their homelessness strategies. The Government is interested in supporting strategies that are forward thinking, reflect the themes in the DTLR report "More than a roof", bring innovation to preventing homelessness and seek to achieve best practice.
	Current funding arrangements prevail until June 2002 to give the Homelessness Directorate an opportunity to fully assess local authority strategies and bids.
	A copy of the guidance on bidding for homelessness strategies has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Garden Hedges

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce proposals to give local authorities the power to intervene in neighbour disputes about overgrown garden hedges.

Sally Keeble: The Government will introduce legislation giving local authorities the power to deal with complaints about high hedges as soon as there is space in the parliamentary timetable.

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research the Government have commissioned into alternative glass suppliers that will meet the criteria set under S.I. 440.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The Department has not commissioned research into alternative glass suppliers. However through contacts with glass manufacturers the Department has been informed that there are at least three companies supplying types of glass in the UK that enable window manufacturers to achieve the technical performance standards of Part L of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/2531) as amended by the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3335).

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if there will be exemptions for listed buildings where the design of windows could make it difficult to comply with the regulations under S.I. 440.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	S.I. 2002/440 does not set any technical standards. It enables self-certification by prescribed persons for certain types of building work. With regard to windows, S.I. 2002/440 introduces a new Building Regulation that enables members of the Fenestration Self-Assessment (FENSA) Scheme to self-certify their installation work complies with the applicable technical requirements. FENSA members may certify that work consisting only of the installation, as a replacement, of a window, rooflight, roof window or door in an existing building complies with regulation 4 of the Building Regulations. This regulation requires that the work complies with the applicable requirements of Schedule 1 of those regulations (S.I. 2000/2531, as amended by S.I. 2001/3335).
	For building work comprising replacing windows guidance on compliance with the Building Regulations is given in Approved Documents L1 and L2. This includes guidance on what is reasonable provision for listed buildings. In addition to this, my Department has been working closely with English Heritage on a new publication advising on making reasonable energy efficiency provisions in conservation work. The publication is aimed at building control inspectors as well as builders, and I understand it will be published soon.

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total estimated compliance costs are to (a) local authorities, (b) builders of new homes and (c) all installations of new windows in existing houses of Statutory Instrument No. 440 Regulation 16A; and what the average individual cost will be of applying for building regulation permission to comply with S.I. 440.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	In the regulatory impact analysis we undertook prior to laying the regulations, we considered that there would be no cost to local authorities from the introduction of S.I. 2002–440, as the provisions effectively relieve them of the burden of enforcement through building control. The builders of new homes will similarly not face a cost as the provisions deal solely with the installation of windows, and gas, solid fuel and oil-fired appliances, and plumbing in existing buildings. The cost for all installations of new windows in existing buildings through the need for installers to obtain membership of the fenestration self-assessment scheme was estimated at £1,715,000 against savings of £91,885,000 in the first year There will be no cost for applying for building regulation permission, as none of those registered with these schemes is required to give a building notice and pay a fee, in relation to carrying out work for which they are registered, and which is permitted not to be notified in the circumstances prescribed in the S.I.

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what enforcement measures will be taken against those who do not comply with S.I. 440.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The only offence created by S.I. 440 would be the failure of a person registered with the fenestration self-assessment scheme, not more than 10 days after the building work has been completed, to give a local authority a notice to that effect, or a certificate as evidence that the requirements of regulations 4 and 7 of the Building Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000 No. 2531) have been satisfied. Local authorities can prosecute any person that contravenes any provision contained in the building regulations under Section 35 of the Building Act 1984.

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the Government will withdraw S.I. 440 and introduce a kitemark system in new windows for the glass and frames that would comply with specified 'U' values for insulation.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	No. S.I. 440 introduces a new building regulation that enables members of the fenestration self-assessment scheme to self-certify their installation work complies with the building regulations.
	There are British Standards Institution Kitemark quality assurance schemes for window products, but none currently covers overall window U-values. More importantly however, as manufactured product schemes, they cannot address the compliance of installation work with the technical and workmanship requirements of the building regulations.

Windows

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures will be put in place to prevent sole suppliers of hard-coat thermal efficient glass abusing their position to impose unreasonable price increases under S.I. 440.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The Department is aware of at least three companies supplying hard-coat thermally efficient glass in the UK. There are also several other international flat glass manufacturers that might seek to trade in the UK depending upon how the market develops. There is therefore no need to put in place anti-monopoly measures.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will raise the income thresholds for eligibility under the disabled facilities grant scheme.

Sally Keeble: The means test for disabled facilities grant makes a careful assessment of an applicant's resources and expenditure needs in order to calculate whether he is in a position to contribute towards any required adaptation to the property. The Government think that this test is fair and reasonable and because demand for DFG is very high it ensures that help goes to those most in need. Many of the detailed allowances used in the assessment are updated annually and SI 2002 No.530, which came into force on 1 April, makes the necessary changes which will be applicable for the year 2002–03.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 977W, on housing, which local authorities were running a cash incentive scheme in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01.

Sally Keeble: Details of the local authorities in England reporting expenditure on cash incentive scheme grants in these years have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Housing

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment the Government have made of the number of new dwellings needed in London and the South-east to satisfy the need for affordable housing over the next 10 years.

Sally Keeble: The Government do not make national estimates of housing need, nor the dwellings required, as such approaches are unable to reflect local needs. Instead, local authorities, in conjunction with regional planning bodies, are expected to produce estimates of need and the dwellings required.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 977W, what figures his Department has collated on the sum each local authority in London running a cash incentive scheme in 2000–01 originally identified as being available to potential applicants.

Sally Keeble: The information provided by London authorities on their planned spend on Cash Incentive Schemes grants in 2000–01 is shown in the table.
	
		Planned programmes for cash incentive scheme in London, 2000–01
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 
			 Barnet 619 
			 Bexley 0 
			 Brent 0 
			 Bromley 0 
			 Camden 1,992 
			 City of London 0 
			 Croydon 1,410 
			 Ealing 0 
			 Enfield 1,283 
			 Greenwich 0 
			 Hackney 537 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 
			 Haringey 500 
			 Harrow 290 
			 Havering 185 
			 Hillingdon 450 
			 Hounslow 0 
			 Islington 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 400 
			 Lambeth 0 
			 Lewisham 300 
			 Merton 150 
			 Newham 0 
			 Redbridge 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 58 
			 Southwark 0 
			 Sutton 200 
			 Tower Hamlets 500 
			 Waltham Forest 1,222 
			 Wandsworth 750 
			 Westminster 400 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Investment Programme returns submitted by authorities in July 2000

Right to Buy

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) published on the right to buy scheme since 1 May 1997.

Sally Keeble: Three research projects have been commissioned:
	(i) The impact of the February 1999 changes to limits on Right to Buy discounts.
	(ii) Exploitation of the Right to Buy scheme by companies.
	(iii) A review of the system for valuing properties for Right to Buy purposes.
	Results from these projects will be made publicly available when the work is completed.

Right to Buy

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information he has collated on the activities of commercial property companies offering local authority tenants a cash incentive to exercise the right to buy their home.

Sally Keeble: We are aware of anecdotal evidence of a number of abuses of the RTB by companies, particularly in London. We have commissioned research into what is happening, including the extent and type of such 'abuses' and the effect on the housing market. The results will be made publicly available when the work is completed.

Housing Stock Transfer

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many units of housing stock have been transferred from local authority control to (a) housing associations and (b) similar bodies in each of the last five years; and how many ballots have taken place over that period of local authority tenants in which they have failed to agree a transfer.

Sally Keeble: The table shows the number of dwellings transferred from local authority ownership to housing associations in each of the most recent five financial years. Also shown for each of these years is the number of ballots in which tenants have not supported the transfer proposal.
	
		
			 Financial year Dwellings transferred Negative ballots 
		
		
			 1997–98 32,982 2 
			 1998–99 73,900 5 
			 1999–2000 97,385 4 
			 2000–01 134,219 4 
			 2001–02 35,390 5 
		
	
	The Secretary of State will not normally give his consent to the transfer of tenanted local authority dwellings to organisations other than registered social landlords.

Fire College, Gloucestershire

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in relation to the fire college at Morton-In-Marsh, Gloucestershire, when he received the report of the internal auditors investigation into financial irregularities; what the results of that report were; if he will publish it; and what action he is taking.

Alan Whitehead: There are a number of matters outstanding and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. The final report will fall within various exemptions of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information including that relating to law enforcement and legal proceedings. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the contents.

Arson

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 675W, on the Fire Service, if he will place in the Library the criteria used by the Arson Control Forum to assess bids from local fire authorities for arson reduction initiatives;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 675W, on awards made by the Arson Control Forum, if he will place in the Library the guidance provided to local fire authorities when bidding for funding from the Arson Control Forum.

Alan Whitehead: The guidance to local fire authorities and the criteria used by the Arson Control Forum to assess their bids were set out in a letter to potential bidders from the chairman of the Arson Control Forum, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of the Fire Service, Graham Meldrum, dated 6 November 2001. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House today.

Telecommunication Masts

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what powers he has to intervene in decisions on the installation of a telecommunication mast in a residential area once the local council authority has given permission for the installation of the equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Local planning authorities have powers under section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to make orders to revoke or modify a planning permission, prior to it being implemented, where they consider it expedient to do so. If an order is opposed, it has to be confirmed by the Secretary of State before it can take effect.
	The Secretary of State also has powers, under section 100 of the Act, to revoke a planning permission granted by a local planning authority. However, the Secretary of State will generally use this power only if the original decision is judged to be grossly wrong, so that damage is likely to be done to the wider public interest.
	Under section 102 of the Act, local planning authorities also have power to make an order, requiring that any use of land be discontinued or continued subject to conditions or that any buildings or works shall be altered or removed. Such an order will not take effect unless it is confirmed by the Secretary of State.
	Section 104 of the Act gives the Secretary of State powers to make discontinuance orders himself.

Telecommunication Masts

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his Department's policy is on the siting of mobile phone masts; what recent discussions he has had on the siting of mobile phone masts; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8 (revised) (PPG8).
	Our general policy is to facilitate the growth of telecommunications systems while protecting the environment.
	We attach considerable importance to keeping the numbers of telecommunication masts to the minimum consistent with the efficient operation of the network. We strongly encourage the sharing of masts and sites, where that represents the optimum environmental solution in a particular case, and the use of existing buildings and other structures to site new antennas. We also encourage the use of sympathetic design and camouflage.
	On 22 August 2001, following consultation, we significantly strengthened the planning arrangements for telecommunications development. We:
	strengthened public consultation requirements on mast proposals of 15 metres and below and for masts on buildings and structures so that they are exactly the same as applications for planning permission
	increased the time for authorities to deal with prior approval applications from 28 and 42 days to a uniform 56 days
	underlined that school governors must be consulted on all proposals for new masts on or near a school or college
	increased fees to enable authorities to carry out full public consultation.

Local Government Pension Scheme

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to publish the conclusions of the review of the local government pension scheme announced in Local Government Pensions Committee Circular No. 106.

Alan Whitehead: The conclusions of the stock-take exercise on the local government pension scheme are being considered. An announcement about the next steps will be made shortly. I can confirm that no regulatory changes are envisaged to the scheme benefit package.

Council Tax Bills

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what requirements there are on councils with regard to the wording of council tax bills in respect of precepts by town and parish councils.

Alan Whitehead: Council tax bills must show the billing authority's council tax and percentage change from last year for the dwelling in question, inclusive of any local precept for the area in which the dwelling is situated. The demand notice must also show separately either the total of any local precept or the per dwelling amount of any local precept, and the name of the local precepting authority. These requirements are set out in Schedule 1 to the Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993–191).

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the total savings of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the (a) M1/A1 Link Road, (b) A1(M), (c) A30/35, (d)M40, (e) A417/419, (f) A19, (g) A50, (h) A69 and (i) second Severn Crossing by comparison with a non-Private Finance Initiative alternative.

David Jamieson: The following figures show the savings estimated at the time of contract award.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Project Public sector comparator Winning DBFO bid Estimated saving 
		
		
			 M1-A1 344 232 112 
			 A1(M) 204 154 50 
			 A419/A417 123 112 11 
			 A69 57 62 (5) 
			 M40 276 182 94 
			 A19 177 136 41 
			 A50 77 67 10 
			 A30/A35 149 148 1 
			  
			 Total 1,407 1,093 314 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are net present values calculated at an 8 per cent. real discount rate. This was the rate used for assessing road projects at the time of contract award.
	I understand that the publicly and privately financed options for the second Severn Crossing were evenly matched.

Road Designation

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his Department's definition is of (a) a trunk road and (b) a strategic route.

John Spellar: The trunk road network is the national system of routes for through traffic. The Highways Agency manages this network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State. There is no definition of a strategic route but we identified a core network of nationally important trunk routes in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England" published in July 1998.

Road Designation

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the reasons why the A683 link to the M6 is designated a strategic routeway; and if he will list the factors which determined the designation of the M6 Link Road Scheme to Heysham a proposal of regional significance.

John Spellar: The designation of the A683 as a strategic routeway and the M6 to Heysham Link as a route of regional significance was made by the North West Regional Assembly in its role as the Regional Planning Body.
	The designation process of roads as routes of Regional significance by the NWRA considered a number of factors, most specifically, the function of a particular route in terms of its strategic importance, status and type of traffic carried.

Road Designation

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the reasons for and provide an analysis of the factors which led to the proposal to detrunk the A585.

John Spellar: My noble Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty) confirmed the routes in the core trunk road network in April 1999. The routes were identified following public consultation and taking the following factors into account:
	linking main centres of population and economic activity;
	accessing major ports, airports and rail intermodal terminals;
	joining the peripheral regions to the centre;
	providing key cross-border links to Scotland and Wales;
	classification as part of the UK Trans-European Road Network.

A14

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the timetable is for improving the road safety of the A14 crossroads at Rookery.

David Jamieson: Draft Orders for the A14 Rookery Crossroads improvement scheme were published on 21 March 2002. Depending on the number and nature of any objections received in response to the publication of the draft Orders, a public inquiry may be necessary. Subject to the completion of the necessary statutory procedures work on the scheme is expected to start in 2004–05 and be completed in 2005–06.

Concessionary Travel

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent discussions the Government have had with the transport industry on concessionary travel for those under 18 who are (a) in full time education and (b) unemployed.

Sally Keeble: In recent months officials from both the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Social Exclusion Unit have participated in discussions held by the Commission for Integrated Transport involving the transport industry. These discussions have covered a number of issues including concessionary fares for those under 18. Both the SEU and CfIT will report later this year.
	Free travel is provided under the education acts for school children living more than the statutory walking distances from school. Separately, school age children are often allowed half-fare travel, either funded by local authorities or by transport operators on a commercial basis—usually on all journeys they make, not just to and from school or college. Many transport operators offer discounted fares to "Jobseekers". In addition, the Department for Education and Skills is developing the Connexions Card which will offer a range of commercial discounts for all 16–19 year olds. The card will be capable of carrying existing travel concessions and is expected to be available nationally from autumn 2002.

Scotrail (Industrial Dispute)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he last had discussions with the Scottish Executive regarding the industrial dispute by employees of Scotrail; and what the outcome of these discussions was.

David Jamieson: Ministers have regular discussions with the Scottish Executive on rail related issues.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards upgrading the South Central network; and in what timeframe work will be completed.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Theresa May) on Thursday 18 April 2002, Official Report, columns 1103W-1104W. I expect the Strategic Rail Authority to be able to sign a new franchise agreement with GoVia later this year.

Rail Performance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), of 26 March 2001, Official Report, column 959W, on rail performance measures, when he intends to publish the benchmarks to which he refers; if he will list the benchmarks published to date; and by whom and how these benchmarks will be measured.

David Jamieson: The benchmarks are the figures published on 18 February 2002 (reliability & punctuality, and safety) and 18 March (quality), the sources for which were specified at the time.

Strategic Rail Authority

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his reply of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 664W, on the Strategic Rail Authority, if he will list the (a) processes and (b) outcomes to which he refers.

David Jamieson: Each Multi Modal Study will have a separate set of outcomes, and processes, which may involve the Strategic Rail Authority, some of which they will be required to implement.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what advice his Department received from (a) SwiftRail and (b) Network Rail about the amount of time needed to conclude a bid and end the Railtrack administration.

David Jamieson: SwiftRail has said publicly that the process envisaged by the administrator for transferring Railtrack out of administration could be prolonged. Network Rail said at the time of making a bid for Railtrack plc that, if accepted, Railtrack could be released from administration by the end of July. This is a very challenging timetable.

National Air Traffic Services

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on how many occasions in the last six months there has been a significant computer failure at National Air Traffic Services leading to the disruption of aircraft movement in UK airspace; what action he is taking to prevent such failures; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: holding answer 17 April 2002
	This is an operational matter for NATS. I understand the position to be as follows.
	There have been two occasions in the last six months, on 27 March and 10 April, when aircraft movements in UK airspace have been disrupted by unplanned computer stoppages. Both events occurred at West Drayton as a result of a software problem associated with an unusual set of circumstances connected with flight data.
	NATS is conducting a full inquiry into the incidents, to establish whether further adjustments are required to ensure the long term robustness of the system.
	Apart from these two incidents, NATS has experienced no significant computer failures in the last six months. Notwithstanding the incident on 27 March, the Flight Data Processing System at West Drayton achieved 99.6 per cent. availability in the year ended 31 March.

Pilotage

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 671W, on pilotage, when he will place a copy of the report in the Library; and what monitoring of the new arrangements has been conducted by his Department.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 16 April 2002, Official Report, columns 803–04W.

Port Marine Safety Code

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the statutory harbour authorities in the UK broken down by (a) companies, (b) local authorities and (c) trusts; which authorities had completed implementation of the port marine safety code by 31 December 2001; and what steps he is taking to ensure full compliance.

David Jamieson: To date, the following harbour authorities have told my Department that they have completed implementation of the Port Marine Safety Code:
	(a) Company Ports
	Associated British Ports:
	Ayr
	Barrow
	Barry
	Cardiff
	Fleetwood
	Garston
	Goole
	Grimsby
	Hull
	Immingham
	Ipswich
	King's Lynn
	Lowestoft
	Newport (Gwent)
	Plymouth
	Port Talbot
	Silloth
	Southampton
	Swansea
	Teignmouth
	Troon
	Whitby
	Boston
	Bristol
	Clydeport
	Forth Ports Ltd:
	Dundee
	Forth
	Tilbury
	Hutchison Ports:
	Felixstowe
	Harwich International
	Larne
	Mersey Docks & Harbour Company:
	Heysham
	Liverpool
	Medway
	Portland Port
	Stena Line Ports:
	Fishguard
	Folkestone
	Holyhead
	Tees and Hartlepool
	Warrenpoint (b) Local Authority Ports
	Aberdeenshire Council:
	Macduff
	Anglesey County Council:
	Amlwch
	Bristol City Docks
	Carrick District Council:
	Truro
	Cumbria County Council:
	Workington
	Fenland District Council:
	Wisbech
	Fife Council
	Hampshire County Council:
	River Hamble Harbour Authority
	Moray Council:
	Buckie
	Burghead
	Cullen
	Findochty
	Hopeman
	Portknockie
	Penwith District Council:
	Penzance
	Portsmouth
	Scarborough Borough Council:
	Scarborough
	Whitby
	Shetland Islands Council:
	Lerwick
	Scalloway
	Sullom Voe
	South Hams District Council:
	Salcombe
	Sunderland
	Thanet District Council:
	Broadstairs
	Margate
	Ramsgate
	Torbay Council:
	Brixham
	Paignton
	Torquay
	Torridge District Council:
	Bideford
	West Somerset District Council:
	Minehead
	Watchet
	Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (c) Trust Ports
	Aberdeen Harbour Board
	Belfast Harbour Commission
	Berwick Harbour Commission
	Bridlington Pier and Harbour Commission
	Brightlingsea Harbour Commission
	Caernarfon Harbour Trust
	Carlingford Lough Commission
	Chichester Harbour Conservancy
	Cromarty Firth Port Authority
	Dover Harbour Board
	Falmouth Harbour Commission
	Fowey Harbour Commissioners
	Fraserburgh Harbour Commission
	Gloucester Harbour Trustees
	Great Yarmouth Port Authority
	Harwich Haven Authority
	Inverness Harbour Trust
	King's Lynn Conservancy Board
	Lancaster Port Commission
	Langstone Harbour Board
	Lerwick Port Authority
	Londonderry Port
	Lymington Harbour Commission
	Milford Haven Port Authority
	Montrose Port Authority
	Neath Harbour Commission
	Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commission
	Newport (Gwent) Harbour Commission
	Padstow Harbour Commission
	Peterhead Bay Authority
	Peterhead Harbour Trust
	Poole Harbour Commission
	Port of London Authority
	Port of Plymouth
	Cattewater Harbour Commission
	Shoreham Port Authority
	Stornoway Pier and Harbour Commission
	Teignmouth Harbour Commission
	Tyne Port Authority
	Warkworth Harbour Commission
	Wells Harbour Commission
	Whitehaven Harbour Commission
	Wick Harbour Trust
	Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) Harbour Commission (d) Other public sector ports
	British Waterways Board:
	Caledonian and Crinan canals
	London Docklands
	River Ouse
	Sharpness Docks
	Environment Agency:
	Rye Harbour.
	My officials are corresponding with, and visiting, a number of harbour authorities that have significant responsibilities for marine safety if they have not reported compliance with the code.

Port Marine Safety Code

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 671W, on marine and port safety, what subjects were discussed at the two exchanges of correspondence with the acting chairman; and if he will place copies of these exchanges in the Library.

David Jamieson: The Department has now written on three occasions to the acting Chairman of Humber Pilots Ltd. (HPL), on four subjects—(1) the circumstances in which HPL's contract with Associated British Ports was terminated and the former pilots' authorisations revoked; (2) the requirement in the Port Marine Safety Code for pilotage services to be covered by a contract; (3) the numbers of Humber pilots now and formerly authorised by the competent harbour authority, and their qualifications; (4) the records of incidents kept by the authority and HPL. Letters between the Department and its correspondents are treated in confidence unless the originator chooses to make them public.

Port Marine Safety Code

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent changes there have been in the (a) measurement of and (b) legal duties for the safety of navigation by harbour authorities; and what progress has been made towards implementation of the port marine safety code.

David Jamieson: There have been no recent changes in the legal duties for the safety of navigation of harbour authorities. The port marine safety code makes clear that the duties and powers that harbour authorities already have are generally sufficient to enable them to maintain proper standards of port marine safety. The Department is undertaking a review during 2002 to assess how far the code has been implemented and what has so far been achieved.

Port Developments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance his Department issues on how alternatives to port developments should be assessed where adverse environmental impacts are likely; what decisions have been taken on who is to carry out these assessments; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 19 December 2001, Official Report, column 517W, in which I announced that the Department had issued a consultation paper concerned with the development of an appraisal framework for ports in the UK. The period for consultation ran until 5 April and we are now analysing the results. These will assist the Department in drawing up a guidance note for all those involved with port developments requiring some form of official approval, which we aim to issue later this year. It will address how alternatives are to be assessed.

Port Developments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what means his Department intends to measure port productivity and efficiency to establish what scope there is for improved use of existing facilities; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Our ports policy paper, "Modern Ports—A UK Policy", published in November 2000, recognised that it is important to have a clear overall picture of trends affecting the ports industry, and especially of the potential need for new port development. We said that the Government will consider with the industry and other interests how to benchmark port performance and best practice methods. We are discussing with the ports industry how this can be taken forward.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Reading, West (Mr. Salter) on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 296W-97W, in which I announced that the Department had issued a discussion paper, "Recent developments and prospects in UK container ports", which was aimed at promoting a better understanding of the ports and shipping business, and of the demands which are now causing pressure on capacity.

National Flag Shipping

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK takes advantage of EU state aid guidelines to encourage national flag shipping.

David Jamieson: We have introduced the tonnage tax, which has in the last two years contributed to a 61 per cent. increase in tonnage of the UK registered fleet. We have also extended and increased funding to the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme, which subsidises the costs of seafarer training, and we are committed to extending the Crew Relief Costs Scheme to cover European as well as more distant ports, when parliamentary time is available. We have already cleared the first two measures with the Commission to ensure that they comply with state aid guidelines, and will seek clearance for the third when appropriate.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pension Credit

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the changes to (a) cost and (b) coverage of the proposed pension credit if the withdrawal rate of the savings credit were (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 22 per cent. and (iii) 25 per cent.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 5 December 2001
	The Savings Credit is designed specifically to reward pensioners with low or modest second pensions or savings. Setting the Savings Credit rate at 60 per cent. strikes the right balance between affordability and the objective of helping pensioners at the lower end of the income scale. As illustrated in the table, below increasing the rate of the Savings Credit to 90 per cent. would require an additional £2 billion for a full year. It would also mean the Pension Credit would be payable to single pensioners with incomes over £300 per week (nearly £16,000 per year) and over £430 for pensioner couples (around £22,500).
	
		Additional expenditure required for Pension Credit for a full financial year
		
			 Savings credit rate (percentage) Change in costs (£ billion) Changes in number of benefit units entitled (000s) 
		
		
			 60 0 0 
			 75 +0.6 +800 
			 78 +0.8 +1,000 
			 90 +2.0 +2,200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Costs are the additional expenditure required for Housing and Council Tax Benefits and Pension Credit.
	2. Numbers of benefit units relates to those entitled to Pension Credit.
	3. The estimates are for 2004–05 (the first full year in which Pension Credit will be payable) and are based on estimates published in the pre-Budget report.
	4. The estimates are for GB only and exclude persons residing in residential care and nursing homes.
	5. The estimates are based on the Department's Policy Simulation Model, using data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for 1999–2000.

Pension Credit

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of single pensioners entitled to the pension credit are expected to be in receipt of less than the full rate of the state basic pension on the inception of the pension credit scheme in October 2003;
	(2)  what proportion of pensioner couples entitled to the pension credit are expected to be in receipt of less than the full rate of the state basic pension for a couple based on the husband's contribution record on the inception of the pension credit scheme in October 2003.

Ian McCartney: Information is not available in the format requested.
	In total around 4.1 million pensioner households will be entitled to Pension Credit in 2003–04, of which around 1.2 million households contain a couple.

Appeal Tribunals

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many appeal tribunals in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have been adjourned as a result of the Tribunal of Commissioners decision in CSDLA/1019/99;
	(2)  how many full sessions in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have been adjourned as a result of the Tribunal of Commissioners decision in CSDLA/1019/99;
	(3)  if medical members who would be disqualified by conflict of interest as judged by the Tribunal of Commissioners decision in CSDLA/1019/99 are still being allocated to sit on Appeal Tribunal hearings; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what costs have been incurred owing to the cancellation of appeal tribunal hearings as a result of the Tribunal of Commissioners decision in CSDLA/1019/99;
	(5)  how many medical members in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK of appeal tribunal hearings he estimates could be disqualified from hearings when the findings of CSDLA/1019/99 are applied.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Neil Ward, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from N. D. Ward to Mr. Tony Worthington, dated 18 April 2002
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your recent parliamentary questions on the subject of the Tribunal of Commissioners decision (CSDLA/1019/99). You asked:
	how many appeal tribunals in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have been adjourned as a result (49006);
	how many full sessions in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have been adjourned as a result (49007);
	what costs have been incurred owing to the cancellation of appeal tribunal hearings as a result (49009);
	if medical members who would be disqualified by conflict of interest as judged by the decision are still being allocated to sit on Appeal Tribunal hearings (49008); and
	how many medical members in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK of appeal tribunal hearings he estimates could be disqualified from hearings when the findings of CSDLA/1019/99 are applied (49011).
	The jurisdiction of appeal tribunal administration by the Appeals Service extends to Great Britain only.
	Information on the number of appeal tribunals, and full sessions, adjourned as a result of the Tribunal of Commissioners decision, and the costs, is unavailable.
	The President of Appeal Tribunals has considered carefully the impact of the above decision. The decision is currently the subject of an appeal to the Court of Session. In the meantime, all medically qualified panel members are being offered hearings.
	There are currently 133 fee paid medically qualified panel members in Scotland, of whom 28 also carry out work for Schlumbergersema/Nestor Disability Analysis. For Great Britain, the figures are 856 and 136 respectively.
	I hope this is helpful.

Appeal Tribunals

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when an Appeal Tribunal is adjourned, what costs have to be met for personnel and services; and what these have amounted to on average in the last year.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Neil Ward, chief executive of the Appeals Service. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from N. D. Ward to Mr. Tony Worthington, dated 18 April 2002
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding what costs have to be met for personnel and services, as a result of adjourned appeal tribunals; and what these have amounted to on average in the last year.
	The costs may include administrative costs for staff and venues as well as those of panel members and travelling expenses for the appellant. Information regarding the specific costs of adjourned tribunals is unavailable. However, the average cost of an appeal cleared by an appeal tribunal is £155 (excluding first tier agency costs). An appeal may be cleared at the first hearing, or after one or more adjournments.
	I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Mark Preedy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will ensure that officials in her Department examine the case of Mr. Mark Preedy.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Bill Wiggin, dated April 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask if the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will ensure that officials in his Department will examine the case of Mr. Mark Preedy.
	As individual cases are a confidential matter I have written to you separately concerning Mr. Preedy.

State Pension

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people above state pension age have (a) reduced entitlement to the basic state pension and (b) no entitlement at all to a basic state pension.

Ian McCartney: There are around 1.46 million people in Great Britain with a reduced entitlement to the Basic State Pension and around 360,000 with no entitlement at all.
	The Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) was introduced in April 1999 to provide a new higher income below which pensioners with little or no savings should not fall. From April 2002 no pensioner has to get by on less than £98.15 a week under MIG (£149.80 for couples). Over two million pensioners nationally benefit from this measure.
	Source:
	Administrative Data September 2001 and ONS mid 2000 Population Estimates.

State Pension

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people failed to claim their state pension within three months of reaching state pension age; what the total amount of state pension left unclaimed was in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 10 April 2002
	There is no requirement to claim retirement pension at state pension age.

Contributory Pension Schemes

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are (a) active members, (b) deferred members and (c) retired members of employers' contributory pension schemes.

Ian McCartney: Information is not available on the number of deferred or retired members of employer contributory schemes (that is, a scheme where there is an employee contribution—"contributory scheme"). Information from the Government Actuary's survey of Occupational Pension Schemes (1995) shows 8.9 million active members in contributory schemes. In addition, it is estimated that there are 1.6 million active members of Group Personal Pension schemes (where the employee makes a contribution) and 1.5 million where the employer makes a contribution in addition to the employee.
	Information is available on the membership profile of occupational pension schemes (both contributory and non-contributory):
	
		Occupational pension membership 1999–2000
		
			 Members  Million 
		
		
			 Active 10.5 
			 Retired 6.2 
			 Deferred 7.3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The information on active members and retired members (ie those in receipt of an occupational pension) is drawn from the Family Resources Survey 1999–2000.
	2. The number of deferred members is estimated from the difference between active/retired members and total scheme membership. This estimate is subject to a degree of error due to the differing data sources used.

Recruitment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the policy of his Department is regarding recruitment and employment of people over 55;
	(2)  what the policy of the Benefits Office is regarding the employment and recruitment of people over 55.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to achieving equality of opportunity and diversity. All applicants and employees are treated fairly to enable them to develop and fulfil their potential, valuing the contribution each person can make to the organisation. Vacancies other than those for positions in the Senior Civil Service are open to everyone up to the age of 65 and a person's age is not taken into account at any stage of the selection process.
	At present the normal retirement age for staff in the Senior Civil Service is set by the Cabinet Office at 60, although there is the option to retain members beyond the age of 60 if it is judged to be in the public interest and the Department is satisfied about the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out his or her duties.
	We are committed to ending age discriminatory practices and Government Ministers, through the Cabinet Office, are actively working towards removing the current barriers for members of the Senior Civil Service.

Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost in 2002–03 of increasing the weekly basic state retirement pension for couples by (a) £8 for those where the head is aged up to 74 years, (b) £18 for those where the head is aged between 75 and 79 years and (c) £28 for those where the head is aged 80 years and over.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available.

Complaints

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints were registered against his Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration in those periods.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The information requested is not available.

Justices of the Peace

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of staff at his Department are justices of the peace; and if he has a strategy for his Department to encourage members of staff to become justices of the peace.

Ian McCartney: Information on the members of staff who are justices of the peace is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) requires employers to allow their staff reasonable time off for public duties. The civil service code (para 9.2.5) requires Departments and agencies to allow time off for attending these duties. Responsibility for the decision- making, in relation to attendance, for such activities has been delegated to local managers within the Department.

Departmental Groups

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) reviews, (b) task forces and (c) advisory groups have been established by his Department since May 1997; what their membership is; and what reports they (i) have published and (ii) are preparing to publish.

Ian McCartney: Departmental Ministers and officials consider many policy questions and issues on a routine and on-going basis and frequently seek the views of people external to the Department on a more or less formal basis. The following table shows the task forces, ad hoc advisory and policy review groups with external members, which have been established since May 1997:
	
		
			 Total number of members  
			  Task forces, ad hoc advisory and policy review groups  Date Established  Date reported/due to report  Date wound up  Ministers  Civil Servants  Wider public servants  Voluntary/ Charity Other in Private Sector  Total 
		
		
			 Pension provision group September 1997 'We all need pensions—The Prospectus for Pension Provision' June 1998. 'Responses to the Pensions Green Paper' March 1999 'A Commentary on the Pension Credit' March 2001. Proposed March 2002 0 0 1 0 6 7 
			   
			 Pension sharing consultation panel November 1997 No reports. Proposed March 2002 0 0 1 2 14 17 
			   
			 Ad hoc group of external stakeholders: Decision Making and Appeals February 1998 No formal reports produced. April 2001 0 4 0 8 0 12 
			   
			 Activities of managing life working group July 1998 No reports have been published. Minutes of meetings are produced.  0 6 0 7 0 13 
			   
			 Housing benefit simplification and improvement project September 1998 No reports published. Mid 1999 0 18 2 0 0 20 
			   
			 Modern service working group December 1998 No plans to produce a report. — 0 5 0 7 0 12 
			   
			 Statutory money purchase illustrations working party April 1999 'Illustrations of Money Purchase Pensions' September 2000. Consultation paper summer 2001 Proposed March 2002 0 2 1 0 3 6 
			   
			 Member-nominated trustee working group June 1999 Proposals in 'Member-Nominated Trustees and Directors: Consultation document' published October 1999. Proposed March 2002 0 2 0 0 7 9 
			   
			 Stakeholder pensions core group July 1999 No formal reports. December 2000 0 4 1 0 19 24 
			   
			 Pension forecasting advisory group July 1999 'Planning Your Future' published July 2000. March 2001 0 10 0 0 8 18 
			   
			 Best practice guidelines working practice July 1999 No formal report. November 2000 0 4 1 0 7 12 
			   
			 Dual sensory impairment group September 1999 No formal report. November 2000 0 4 0 4 0 8 
			   
			 Benefits agency standards committee November 1999 First annual report published September 2000. Proposed March 2002 0 2 3 1 3 9 
			   
			 Older people—media images working group August 2000 No report planned. March 2001 0 7 0 6 1 14 
			   
			 Partnership against poverty March 2001 No report as such, provides feedback to department after each meeting. — 0 6 5 10 0 21 
			   
			 Jobcentre plus employers forum May 2001 No formal report planned. — 0 2 2 0 8 12 
			   
			 Jobcentre plus stakeholders forum May 2001 No formal report planned. — 0 4 2 18 0 24 
			   
			 The private pensions simplification (pickering) review September 2001 Report due July 2002. — 2 5 0 0 5 12 
			 The minimum funding requirement consultant panel September 2001 No formal report planned. — 0 8 0 1 12 21 
			   
			 Scottish partnership against poverty November 2001 No formal report planned. — 0 11 0 7 6 24 
		
	
	Ministerial approval
	Date
	Secretary of State approval
	PSL approval

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the longest period of time elapsed is between receiving (a) the administration fee and providing the information requested and (b) a request for information and providing the information requested, under the Data Protection Act 1998;
	(2)  what administration fees are charged by the Department for information requests made under the Data Protection Act 1998;
	(3)  what percentage of responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 the Department has completed (a) within 40 days of receipt of the £10 fee, (b) between 40 and 60 days of and (c) over 60 days after receiving the administration fee.

Ian McCartney: Such information is available as follows.
	The longest period of time elapsed is between a request for information and providing the information requested is over 120 days.
	The Department currently only records elapsed time for clearing requests in periods of 20 days i.e. 40–60 days, 60–80 days. This information is only available for requests recorded from 24 October 2001.
	We do not charge an administration fee for information requests made under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	From 1 March 2000 to 23 October 2001 the Department has responded to 91.40 per cent. of requests within 40 days and 8.60 per cent. over 40 days.
	From 24 October 2001 to 31 December 2001 the Department has responded to 92.33 per cent. of requests within 40 days; 7.40 per cent. over 40 days and 27 per cent. over 60 days.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been completed (a) within 40 days, (b) between 40 and 60 days and (c) over 60 days after receiving the original letter; and how many are outstanding;
	(2)  how many responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 the Department has completed (a) within 40 days of receipt of, (b) between 40 and 60 days of receiving and (c) over 60 days after receiving the £10 administration fee.

Ian McCartney: From 1 March 2000 to 23 October 2001 the Department has responded to 5,604 within 40 days; 529 over 40 days and none over 60 days.
	From 24 October 2001 to 31 December 2001 the Department has responded to 989 within 40 days; 81 over 40 days and nine over 60 days.
	At 31 December 2001 there were 530 SARs outstanding throughout the Department.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many requests the Department has received under the Data Protection Act 1988 for (a) electronically held information and (b) paper documentation;
	(2)  how many responses the Department has completed to requests for information made under the Data Protection Act 1998 for (a) electronically held information and (b) paper documentation.

Ian McCartney: Between 1 March 2000, when the Data Protection Act came into force with respect to electronically held data, and 23 October 2001 the Department received and completed 6,825 subject access requests.
	The Act extended rights to clerical data on 24 October 2001 and since then (up to 31 December 2001) the Department has received 320 requests for clerical data only; 107 requests for electronic data only; and 652 requests for both clerical and electronic data.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the period of time elapsed is for the oldest outstanding request for information under the Data Protection Act 1998, since receipt of the (a) original request and (b) administration fee.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the average cost of processing each information request under the Data Protection Act 1998 in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available.

SCOTLAND

Appointments

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the public bodies are to which she has a right to make appointments since 1 July 1999; and when she will next make appointments to each of them.

Helen Liddell: One of my functions under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 is to appoint the Commissioners to the Boundary Commission for Scotland. I will be required to make two new appointments from 1 January 2003.

Ferry Transport

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on devolving powers to the Scottish Executive on ferry transport.

Helen Liddell: An order under section 63 of the Scotland Act will shortly be laid before Parliament. Subject to approval, this order will devolve to Scottish Ministers a power to provide financial support for shipping services between the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland.

Scottish Enterprise

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she last met the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise; and what was discussed.

Helen Liddell: I meet representatives of a wide range of public and private sector bodies in a variety of circumstances, both formal and informal, and I shall continue to do so. Those discussions include the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise on matters relating to the Scottish economy.

Friends of Scotland

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have registered as Friends of Scotland.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2002, Official Report, column 169W.

MSPs

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she will publish the result of her consultation on MSP members.

Helen Liddell: The consultation period ended on 29 March. I will now give careful consideration to all of the views expressed and will publish in due course a summary of the responses. I hope to be in a position to announce the Government's decision on this important matter soon.

Shipping Services

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response she has received from the Scottish Executive to her consultation about transferring functions to the Scottish Ministers regarding financial assistance for shipping services which start or finish outside Scotland.

George Foulkes: holding answer 19 April 2002
	The Scotland Office has held detailed discussions with the Scottish Executive on the proposed transfer of functions to Scottish Ministers regarding financial assistance to shipping services. An order under section 63 of the Scotland Act will shortly be laid before Parliament. Subject to approval, this order will devolve to Scottish Ministers a power to provide financial support for shipping services between the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland.

Departmental Publicity

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the total real terms expenditure of her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if she will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following on publicity:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 July 1999 to March 2000 21,289 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 130,903 
			 April 2001 to date 180,341 
			 2001–02 estimate 180,341 
		
	
	All of the expenditure was on advertising, with most of this related to election or electoral registration matters. No assessment has been made of the expenditure in real terms.

Complaints

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints were registered against her Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in those periods.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no complaints have been registered against the Department.
	Details of complaints between 1990 and 1999 are contained in the annual reports of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. These reports were laid before Parliament and are available in the Library.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many members of her staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: No staff in my Department have requested paid leave to work as a volunteer during the last two years.

Civil Servants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the (a) percentage and number of rail journeys undertaken on first class tickets, (b) average cost of a first class journey by rail and (c) total cost of rail travel in each of the past four years broken down by grade of civil servant.

Helen Liddell: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Rail Journeys

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make it her policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in her Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Helen Liddell: The Civil Service Management Code requires all Government Departments and agencies to ensure that employees use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit and the needs of staff with disabilities.

Job Sharing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people are employed in her Department on a job share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in her Department.

Helen Liddell: My Department currently has four members of staff employed in a total of two job-share positions.
	Apart from a very small number of posts, where there are particular business requirements, all vacant positions are advertised as being available on a part-time, job share/split as well as on a full-time basis.

Press Office

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in her Department's press office have received (a) termination and (b) redundancy payments in each of the last four years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	Since that date, no staff in the Department's press office have received termination or redundancy payments.

Legal Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what legal costs have been incurred by her Department in each of the last four years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that time it has incurred the following legal costs in relation to my areas of responsibility:
	
		£ 
		
			  Legal costs 
		
		
			 July 1999 to March 2000 1,769 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 5,487 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 18,892 
		
	
	These do not include the cost of in-house legal services but include payments made to other Departments for legal services. The figures are gross, do not include costs recovered or recoverable and do not include costs paid to third parties by way of damages or compensation.

Official Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  if she will list the official visits to (a) Paris and (b) Brussels made by each Minister in her Department in 2001 and the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in her Department on the choice of mode of travel for such visits;
	(2)  if she will list the official visits within the UK outside London made by each Minister in her Department in 2001, giving for each (a) the origin and destination and (b) the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in her Department on choice of mode of travel for official visits.

Helen Liddell: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis of all Ministers' visits overseas. Details of travel undertaken during the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published in a similar form to previous years as soon as possible. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.
	All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The additional information requested in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Official Visits

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans she has to visit the Baltic states.

Helen Liddell: It is my intention to visit the Baltic states in due course.

Union Duties

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how many staff in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in each of the last four years.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Union Duties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in her Department, agencies and non- departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in each of the last four years.

Helen Liddell: No official in my Department receives paid facility time on a full time basis to undertake trade union activities.

WALES

Complaints

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints were registered against his Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in those periods.

Paul Murphy: There is no central register of complaints.
	Since its establishment on 1 July 1999, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has investigated no complaints against the Wales Office. The Ombudsman's annual reports contain the following details of complaints against the former Welsh Office.
	
		
			 Year New cases received Rejected or discontinued(5) Cases concluded Upheld in whole or in part 
		
		
			 1990–91 9 7 0 0 
			 1991–92 9 6 2 2 
			 1992–93 12 8 4 4 
			 1993–94 12 11 0 0 
			 1994–95 25 14 2 0 
			 1995–96 15 12 9 8 
			 1996–97 16 12 0 0 
			 1997–98 12 13 3 2 
			 1998–99 17 10 5 4 
			 1999–2000 8 19 0 0 
			 2000–01 1 1 0 0 
		
	
	(5) From 1999–2000, includes "Concluded without investigation"
	Note:
	Annual workload includes cases carried forward from previous years

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Staff Numbers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff have been employed by her Department in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 295W.

User Consultation

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what new steps her Department took in 2001–02 to consult the users of its services about their wishes and expectations; and if she will publish the findings.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Department continuously commissions tightly focused market research to help develop and evaluate advertising and publicity campaigns. This research will often focus on views of customers about its services.
	For example in 2001–02, campaigns where strategic communications research or creative development research have been commissioned include the drive to widen participation in Higher Education; the promotion of the relevance of science to teenagers, as part of Science Year, the child care recruitment campaign; the campaign to help those adults with basic skills gaps; and the promotion of foundation degrees and modern apprenticeships.
	It is seldom possible to publish the findings of this type of research as these projects test creative work commissioned from advertising agencies as part of the development of the publicity campaigns and are regarded as commercial-in-confidence. This research is subject to the usual strict rules that spending must represent good value for the taxpayer and must not be used for party political purposes.
	The Department also conducts research to help us understand the education, skills and communication needs of our customers. It has sampled and consulted on the views of teachers, parents and other groups affected by the Department's policies on specific issues. For example the project "Causes of truancy by pupils of compulsory school age" gathers the views of pupils, parents, school and LEA staff on the causes of truancy and what measures could be taken to address the issue. One of the aims is to examine the issue of absence that is condoned by parents. "A longitudinal study of factors contributing to variations in teacher effectiveness" will investigate the factors which contribute to the effectiveness of teachers at different stages of their career, working in a range of schools in different contexts, and how this changes over time. Part of this study is to track 300 teachers over three years measuring their effectiveness by pupil outcome measures and other qualitative techniques. Again it would not be possible to give details of every project without disproportionate costs.
	The Department is committed in particular to consulting its youngest customers and enthusiastically supports the Government's core principles on involving children and young people. We arranged a consultation day with pupils on 5 November 2001 on the Education White Paper and our consultation on the 14–19 Green Paper which started in February includes a young persons' document and events with young people. Most Connexions Partnerships are successfully involving young people in the design, delivery and evaluation of the service. The views of young people are also gathered through the millennium volunteers national and regional fora. We will build on these examples to promote consultation with children and young people across the Department's activities.
	The Department's website has details of its research programme from 1997 on http://www/dfes.gov.uk/ research. Information about opinion polls, focus groups and other forms of research commissioned by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

New Schools

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to build new (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Lancashire.

John Healey: It is not the role of the Department to decide when and where to build new schools. Local Education Authorities (LEAs) have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places available for children in their area. To help identify where additional places are needed, LEAs are required to produce annually a locally agreed School Organisation Plan which sets the context for the provision of school places over a five year period. Where Authorities can demonstrate a need for additional places, they can apply for capital funding support from the Department in the form of a basic need allocation. Since 2000–01, Lancashire LEA has received basic need allocations in respect of 587 secondary school places. It is, however, for the LEA to decide how best to use these allocations in line with the locally agreed priorities identified in its Asset Management Plan. Any proposal to establish a new school would be made and decided locally.

New Schools

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new schools have been built in each of the local authorities of England in each of the last five years.

John Healey: We do not hold information in the form requested. Much capital funding support is allocated to local education authorities and schools on a formulaic basis. Records of how it is utilised for specific projects are held locally.

Education Finance

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average amount spent per pupil was in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) sixth form colleges in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Liverpool, (iii) Manchester, (iv) London, (v) England and (vi) Scotland in (1) 1998, (2) 1999, (3) 2000, (4) 2001 and (5) the quarter to 31 March 2002.

Stephen Timms: The following table sets out the average amount spent per pupil in primary schools and per pupil in secondary schools. 1999–2000 is the latest year for which information is available. I shall write to my hon. Friend when the information for 2000–01 is to hand. The Department does not hold information on spending by sixth form colleges. My right hon. Friend is not responsible for expenditure in Scotland.
	
		Education expenditure per school pupil
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			 342 St. Helens   
			 Pre primary/primary 1,770 2,030 
			 Secondary 2,480 2,650 
			
			 341 Liverpool   
			 Pre primary/primary 1,970 2,020 
			 Secondary 2,580 2,720 
			
			 352 Manchester   
			 Pre primary/primary 1,860 1,960 
			 Secondary 2,670 2,820 
			
			 London   
			 Pre primary/primary 2,320 2,450 
			 Secondary 3,030 3,050 
			
			 England   
			 Pre primary/primary 1,960 2,070 
			 Secondary 2,550 2,640 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are in real terms (2000–01) prices, based on GDP deflators published by Treasury on 27 March 2002
	2. All figures are in £s rounded to the nearest £10.
	3. Expenditure data for 1999–2000 are taken from section 52 outturn statements completed by local education authorities and returned to DfES.
	4. Data for previous years are taken from DTLR's Revenue Outturn Returns.
	5. Pupil numbers used in calculating pupil figures are financial year averages, based on January Annual School Census returns.

Emmanuel College, Gateshead

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils who gained entry to Emmanuel college in Gateshead LCS achieved level (a) 4, (b) 5 and (c) 6 in Key Stage 2 (i) maths, (ii) English and (iii) science SATs at primary school as a percentage of their year 7 intake for each of the years (A) 1999, (B) 2000 and (C) 2001.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available. Analyses of this kind will be possible once proposals for a national pupil database are implemented. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 28 January 2002, Official Report, columns 109–11W.

Sunset Clauses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Bills introduced by her Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans she has for the future use of such clauses.

Stephen Timms: The current Education Bill is the only example of where such a provision has been included, through subsection (6) of clause 2 of the Bill. The need for future use of such clauses would be assessed during preparation for any future legislation.

Sector Skills Councils

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings her Department has had with the sector skills councils since their inception.

John Healey: There are currently five Trailblazer SSCs covering the following sectors:
	Retail
	Environmental and Land Based Industries
	Apparel, Footwear and Textiles
	Audio Visual Industries
	Oil and Gas Extraction, Petroleum Refining and Marketing, and Chemicals Manufacturing and Processing.
	My Department holds regular meetings with the Trailblazer SSCs. Meetings have also been facilitated by my Department's officials between the Trailblazer SSCs and the devolved Administrations, other Government Departments, and other partner organisations.
	Meetings have also taken place between the Department and the potential sector skills councils.
	This regular dialogue will continue in order for the sector skills councils to achieve their aim of leading the skills and productivity drive in industry and business sectors which is recognised by employers. They will bring together employers, trade unions and professional bodies in working with Government to develop the skills to meet the demand from businesses in order to close the skills gaps between the UK and our competitors.

Oil and Gas Industry

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has for a sector skills council for the oil and gas industry.

John Healey: A sector skills council (SSC) for the oil and gas extraction, oil refining and processing and chemical manufacturing sector was licensed on 19 March. The SSC, known as Cogent, is one of five Trailblazer SSCs selected to demonstrate the importance of influential employer-led bodies in driving up skills and productivity in sectors. I look forward to Cogent making significant early progress in addressing the skills and productivity priorities for this sector.

IT Contracts

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 257W, on IT contracts, whether the competition being run by Becta to accredit ICT suppliers for schools will take into account the ease for schools of changing between those suppliers.

John Healey: The Accredited Service Suppliers initiative will not put in place a framework contract and hence schools will create their own formal contract arrangements with suppliers. However, all Becta accredited NGfL service suppliers will be governed by a code of conduct, which will ensure that suppliers do not impose unreasonable terms and conditions on schools and other educational customers. Part of this code of conduct will cover arrangements for termination of contracts. Rigorous monitoring of accredited supplier performance will be undertaken by Becta and accreditation will be publicly withdrawn from suppliers who do not work within the code of conduct.

Smart Card Technology

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the use of smart card technology in her Department and in the areas for which it is responsible; and what discussions she has had with private companies about the use of smart card technology within her Department.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 16 April 2002
	The Connexions card is a smart card designed to encourage young people to continue in learning beyond 16. Young people can collect points every time they attend a learning session, which can then be redeemed for a wide range of rewards and "money can't buy" opportunities—for example, going behind the scenes at a pop concert or attending a top sporting event. Cardholders will also receive on-the-spot discounts in a wide range of high street shops.
	The Department has developed the Connexions card through a public private partnership with Capita who are providing the technological and commercial infrastructure to support the initiative. The fact that the card and its infrastructure are smart means that it is capable of taking on more functions such as helping a school or local education authority validate the payment of education maintenance allowances or an e-purse for cashless catering.
	The card is currently being rolled out region by region and will be available across England from autumn 2002.

School Playing Fields

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in each of the Inner London boroughs have school playing fields; and if she will list them.

John Healey: As part of the data collected for local education authorities' asset management plans, the Department has information on numbers of school playing fields. The Department is currently appraising the data with a view to publishing analysis later this year.

City of Bradford Metropolitan Council

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the City of Bradford metropolitan council was invited to submit a bid for the latest round of PFI projects; when the bid was received; and on what date the Department's response was issued.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 18 April 2002
	A letter was sent by the Department for Education and Skills to all local education authorities (LEAs) in England on 31 July 2001, inviting PFI proposals expected to reach contract signature in 2003–04. The proposal from the City of Bradford metropolitan council was received on 17 December 2001. All LEAs which submitted proposals were notified of the outcome on 25 March 2002.

Educational Psychologists

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the average waiting time between a child being referred by his school to an educational psychologist and the first consultation taking place has been in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many educational psychologists are employed (a) by each local education authority in England and Wales and (b) in total; what the equivalent figures were for the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make a statement about the recruitment and retention of educational psychologists;
	(4)  what estimate she has made of the number of posts for educational psychologists in local education authorities in England and Wales that are unfilled.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 18 April 2002
	Information on waiting times for consultations with educational psychologists is not collected centrally. Recruitment and retention of educational psychologists are matters for local education authorities, as employers.
	The latest available information on the number of educational psychologists employed by local education authorities in England, and the number of unfilled posts, is given in the following table:
	
		Educational psychologists (full-time equivalent)
		
			In service FT vacancies 
			 LEA 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2001 
		
		
			 City of London 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.0 
			 Camden 8.4 7.5 7.5 10.9 12.0 0.0 
			 Greenwich 16.0 16.9 15.9 12.9 14.5 1.0 
			 Hackney 11.0 10.0 10.5 11.7 12.5 1.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6.5 7.5 9.3 7.5 5.9 1.0 
			 Islington 10.0 13.0 12.3 14.1 12.0 0.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9.0 10.0 8.0 8.0 6.0 0.0 
			 Lambeth 13.3 8.0 10.7 13.4 15.1 0.0 
			 Lewisham 13.5 13.5 12.5 12.5 13.5 0.0 
			 Southwark 13.6 11.1 12.3 12.3 11.7 2.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 14.0 29.6 15.7 15.3 14.4 0.0 
			 Wandsworth 11.2 11.6 10.7 11.3 11.0 0.0 
			 City of Westminster 10.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 9.4 0.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 12.9 10.9 11.9 14.0 11.9 3.0 
			 Barnet 16.1 15.5 15.5 14.4 15.5 1.0 
			 Bexley 11.3 10.0 11.0 10.6 10.1 0.0 
			 Brent 11.6 10.0 9.4 10.0 11.0 0.0 
			 Bromley 11.5 12.0 12.0 11.0 11.5 1.0 
			 Croydon 10.4 14.6 13.9 13.4 9.6 1.0 
			 Ealing 12.8 13.8 23.8 14.7 13.7 1.0 
			 Enfield 15.0 12.7 17.6 20.6 19.2 3.0 
			 Haringey 14.8 13.3 15.0 14.1 11.6 2.0 
			 Harrow 11.0 4.6 8.7 10.3 10.9 1.0 
			 Havering 7.9 9.6 9.5 9.5 9.5 0.0 
			 Hillingdon 12.4 13.8 15.3 14.2 15.5 0.0 
			 Hounslow 9.5 10.5 10.0 10.5 10.5 0.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4.9 6.9 5.7 6.8 5.4 1.0 
			 Merton 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.8 9.6 0.0 
			 Newham 12.1 12.8 15.5 19.0 17.7 4.0 
			 Redbridge 8.1 8.2 10.0 10.4 7.4 2.0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 6.6 7.6 7.6 7.1 6.1 1.0 
			 Sutton 5.6 5.0 6.5 8.9 10.8 0.0 
			 Waltham Forest 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 8.3 1.0 
			 Birmingham 39.0 40.1 46.2 22.6 46.2 0.0 
			 Coventry 13.3 12.8 13.9 14.5 16.0 0.0 
			 Dudley 10.5 10.5 11.5 7.7 11.7 5.0 
			 Sandwell 14.0 15.0 14.0 16.0 15.0 0.0 
			 Solihull 9.4 10.0 9.5 11.0 9.5 1.0 
			 Walsall 10.5 12.6 11.8 12.0 10.6 0.0 
			 Wolverhampton 11.8 12.8 10.0 13.0 15.0 0.0 
			 Knowsley 8.8 8.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 0.0 
			 Liverpool 16.0 16.0 15.0 15.0 14.0 0.0 
			 St. Helens 6.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 8.1 0.0 
			 Sefton 10.0 11.0 10.6 9.5 13.6 0.0 
			 Wirral 14.0 12.5 13.7 12.8 12.1 2.0 
			 Bolton 8.4 8.4 8.4 9.4 9.4 0.0 
			 Bury 7.6 7.2 6.1 8.0 8.6 0.0 
			 Manchester 17.6 20.9 22.2 17.8 21.0 0.0 
			 Oldham 6.5 7.5 7.5 8.5 8.9 0.0 
			 Rochdale 8.3 9.3 9.3 8.0 9.3 0.0 
			 Salford 9.5 8.3 7.6 11.2 8.8 3.0 
			 Stockport 11.8 10.6 10.5 11.2 10.0 0.0 
			 Tameside 7.6 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6 0.0 
			 Trafford 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.4 7.0 0.0 
			 Wigan 12.0 11.8 12.4 12.4 10.0 2.0 
			 Barnsley 4.0 6.5 6.9 7.4 7.9 0.0 
			 Doncaster 10.9 11.9 10.9 10.9 9.9 2.0 
			 Rotherham 11.5 10.5 8.3 7.3 9.1 0.0 
			 Sheffield 19.4 20.9 22.4 23.4 26.0 0.0 
			 Bradford 18.5 19.2 20.5 21.7 21.7 0.0 
			 Calderdale 8.4 7.4 7.4 7.7 8.8 0.0 
			 Kirklees 21.5 22.5 20.0 22.8 25.1 3.0 
			 Leeds 14.5 17.0 19.0 21.5 19.5 2.0 
			 Wakefield 10.0 10.0 11.0 9.0 9.3 0.0 
			 Gateshead 9.0 9.5 9.5 9.5 6.5 0.0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 14.4 10.4 14.8 10.5 8.6 0.0 
			 North Tyneside 6.6 7.5 5.7 7.7 9.0 0.0 
			 South Tyneside 6.0 7.5 5.0 7.1 6.5 1.0 
			 Sunderland 11.5 11.5 13.5 15.9 11.1 0.0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.0 0.1 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 5.0 5.0 5.0 8.5 7.0 0.0 
			 City of Bristol 16.9 14.3 15.6 19.2 19.5 0.0 
			 North Somerset 7.9 7.5 9.0 12.0 10.5 1.0 
			 South Gloucestershire 7.3 7.0 8.8 9.8 11.4 0.0 
			 Hartlepool 3.2 4.0 4.0 3.4 2.4 1.0 
			 Middlesbrough 5.0 7.0 7.4 7.0 6.2 0.0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5.1 4.9 6.0 6.0 5.8 2.0 
			 Stockton on Tees 8.5 5.1 7.0 6.0 8.3 0.0 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 8.0 8.3 10.3 10.3 11.4 10.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 8.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 9.0 0.0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.6 6.4 0.0 
			 North Lincolnshire 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 5.0 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire 13.1 14.3 15.8 14.7 14.5 0.0 
			 York 6.9 6.9 6.9 7.8 8.1 0.0 
			 Former Bedfordshire 16.3 — — — — — 
			 Bedfordshire — 6.0 10.3 10.3 11.7 1.0 
			 Luton — 4.8 5.3 6.0 7.0 0.0 
			 Total former Bedfordshire area 16.3 10.8 15.6 16.3 18.7 1.0 
			 Former Buckinghamshire 24.9 — — — — — 
			 Buckinghamshire — 18.2 19.7 19.8 18.6 36.0 
			 Milton Keynes — 10.0 7.0 10.0 11.5 0.0 
			 Total former Buckinghamshire area 24.9 28.2 26.7 29.8 30.1 36.0 
			 Former Derbyshire 31.9 — — — — — 
			 Derbyshire — 22.0 20.6 23.0 20.7 3.0 
			 Derby — 9.0 8.7 10.9 10.9 0.0 
			 Total former Derbyshire area 31.9 31.0 29.3 33.9 31.6 3.0 
			 Former Dorset 25.0 — — — — — 
			 Dorset — 14.0 13.0 12.6 12.7 0.0 
			 Poole — 5.5 6.0 4.5 5.1 1.0 
			 Bournemouth — 4.0 5.4 6.0 6.0 0.0 
			 Total former Dorset area 25.0 23.5 24.4 23.1 23.8 1.0 
			 Former Durham 23.4 — — — — — 
			 Durham — 16.0 20.9 20.6 23.2 0.0 
			 Darlington — 4.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 
			 Total former Durham area 23.4 20.0 23.9 24.6 27.2 0.0 
			 Former East Sussex 18.3 — — — — — 
			 East Sussex — 11.9 13.9 12.6 16.9 1.0 
			 Brighton and Hove — 7.1 6.7 7.7 7.7 0.0 
			 Total former East Sussex area 18.3 19.0 20.6 20.3 24.6 1.0 
			 Former Hampshire 61.4 — — — — — 
			 Hampshire — 48.9 48.3 50.1 42.9 4.0 
			 Portsmouth — 11.0 9.0 14.0 11.0 2.0 
			 Southampton — 10.0 11.6 12.7 12.7 0.0 
			 Total former Hampshire area 61.4 69.9 68.9 76.8 66.6 6.0 
			 Former Leicestershire 26.2 0.0 — — — — 
			 Leicestershire — 21.1 22.6 24.6 21.1 2.0 
			 Leicester — 12.7 13.3 12.7 21.0 5.0 
			 Rutland — 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 
			 Total former Leicestershire area 26.2 34.2 35.9 37.8 42.1 7.0 
			 Former Staffordshire 28.0 — — — — — 
			 Staffordshire — 21.0 20.0 22.4 18.5 6.0 
			 Stoke on Trent — 6.1 8.0 6.2 6.1 0.0 
			 Total former Staffordshire area 28.0 27.1 28.0 28.6 24.6 6.0 
			 Former Wiltshire 13.2 — — — — — 
			 Wiltshire — 14.3 20.9 15.6 14.1 0.0 
			 Swindon — 5.9 4.9 6.5 6.7 0.0 
			 Total former Wiltshire area 13.2 20.2 25.8 22.1 20.8 0.0 
			 Former Berkshire 20.6 20.2 — — — — 
			 Bracknell Forest — — 3.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead — — 6.6 6.0 5.2 1.0 
			 West Berkshire — — 5.4 5.8 8.3 1.0 
			 Reading — — 4.0 5.0 4.5 1.0 
			 Slough — — 4.9 7.7 9.7 0.0 
			 Wokingham   4.9 5.0 5.0 1.0 
			 Total former Berkshire area 20.6 20.2 28.8 32.5 35.7 4.0 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 19.5 19.5 — — — — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — 19.0 18.3 16.8 1.0 
			 Peterborough — — 6.5 6.5 6.6 0.0 
			 Total former Cambridgeshire area 19.5 19.5 25.5 24.8 23.4 1.0 
			 Former Cheshire 30.1 27.8 — — — — 
			 Cheshire — — 18.8 23.8 18.4 15.0 
			 Halton — — 4.0 5.0 5.0 0.0 
			 Warrington — — 6.0 10.1 6.0 2.0 
			 Total former Cheshire area 30.1 27.8 28.8 38.9 29.4 17.0 
			 Former Devon 34.8 33.2 — — — — 
			 Devon — — 20.8 18.9 21.5 0.0 
			 Plymouth — — 9.5 9.4 9.5 0.0 
			 Torbay — — 3.6 3.5 3.5 0.0 
			 Total former Devon area 34.8 33.2 33.9 31.8 34.5 0.0 
			 Former Essex 63.3 60.5 — — — — 
			 Essex — — 45.6 47.6 52.4 1.0 
			 Southend on Sea — — 4.0 5.0 5.8 1.0 
			 Thurrock — — 4.5 7.5 6.0 1.0 
			 Total former Essex area 63.3 60.5 54.1 60.1 64.2 3.0 
			 Former Hereford and Worcestershire 22.0 20.2 — — — — 
			 Herefordshire — — 4.7 5.7 5.6 0.0 
			 Worcestershire — — 19.8 18.7 22.6 0.0 
			 Total former Hereford and Worcester area 22.0 20.2 24.5 24.4 28.2 0.0 
			 Former Kent 55.8 50.2 — — — — 
			 Kent — — 37.7 43.6 42.4 5.0 
			 Medway — — 9.5 10.1 9.5 0.0 
			 Total former Kent area 55.8 50.2 47.2 53.7 51.9 5.0 
			 Former Lancashire 55.3 51.9 — — — — 
			 Lancashire — — 40.5 43.3 42.1 1.0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen — — 8.0 9.0 8.0 0.0 
			 Blackpool — — 5.0 5.5 6.5 0.0 
			 Total former Lancashire area 55.3 51.9 53.5 57.8 56.6 1.0 
			 Former Nottinghamshire 32.9 30.8 — — — — 
			 Nottinghamshire — — 22.8 25.3 25.8 1.0 
			 Nottingham — — 9.2 9.4 15.1 0.0 
			 Total former Nottinghamshire area 32.9 30.8 32.0 34.7 40.9 1.0 
			 Former Shropshire 13.0 13.1 — — — — 
			 Shropshire — — 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Telford and Wrekin — — 13.6 14.5 16.9 0.0 
			 Total former Shropshire area 13.0 13.1 13.6 14.5 16.9 0.0 
			 Cornwall 13.0 13.0 13.0 12.8 13.4 0.0 
			 Cumbria 17.2 17.2 17.0 19.9 23.6 2.0 
			 Gloucestershire 8.5 8.5 17.5 18.2 19.1 0.0 
			 Hertfordshire 34.6 34.9 35.8 35.3 32.4 3.0 
			 Isle of Wight 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 
			 Lincolnshire 18.8 15.4 17.0 17.0 19.0 1.0 
			 Norfolk 24.0 21.5 23.5 20.5 20.5 4.0 
			 Northamptonshire 23.4 29.1 28.4 28.1 25.6 4.0 
			 Northumberland 9.2 8.5 8.5 14.5 9.1 0.0 
			 Oxfordshire 17.9 19.9 18.8 21.1 22.2 0.0 
			 Somerset 16.3 16.8 20.5 23.5 23.8 0.0 
			 Suffolk 15.8 19.8 19.8 19.3 18.7 2.0 
			 Surrey 34.2 31.2 31.2 34.3 37.0 2.0 
			 Warwickshire 14.8 14.6 18.0 19.9 16.1 0.0 
			 West Sussex 21.8 22.7 21.5 23.6 26.2 3.0 
			 Total England 1,767.6 1,788.1 1,866.5 1,928.7 1,954.4 176.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual form 618G surveys of teachers in service and teacher vacancies.

Speech Therapy Services

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has given to schools and local education authorities about gaining access to speech therapy services for children with relevant special education needs.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 18 April 2002
	Access to speech and language therapy services is covered in Chapter 8 of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice, published by the Department in November 2001. There is also a booklet on the role of health professionals in the SEN Toolkit which issued alongside the code.
	Under the SEN category of the Standards Fund, grant support is available to all English local education authorities to enhance speech and language therapy services in conjunction with the NHS and voluntary sector. Such support was recommended in the report of the working group on the provision of speech and language therapy services to children with SEN, published in November 2000.

Education Act

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which children are not treated as part of the population of a local authority area for the purposes of section 13 of the Education Act 1996.

Stephen Timms: Section 13 of the Education Act 1996 (the 1996 Act) sets out the general responsibility of the local education authority to provide primary, secondary and further education to meet the needs of the population of the area concerned, exclusive of the duties of further and higher education funding councils. This section applies to all children in the area of the local authority concerned, except that none of the LEA's duties under the 1996 Act applies in respect of any person who is in custody because of a court order or an order of recall made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

School Standards and Framework Act

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which children are not included as being part of a local education authority's area, for the purposes of section 118 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, other than those described in subsections 118(1)(a) and (b).

Stephen Timms: Section 118 of the School Standards and Framework Act sets out the duty of the local education authority (LEA) in respect of nursery education. It imposes a duty on the LEA to secure that sufficient nursery education for children who have not attained compulsory school age is provided for their area, whether or not by the LEA. However, section 562 of the Education Act 1996 provides that none of the LEA's duties under that Act are to apply in respect of any person in custody because of a court order or because of an order of recall made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Performance Targets

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what performance indicators and targets local education authorities are expected to agree with her Department for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03, showing the period covered by the target or indicator and the date by which agreement should be achieved.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 19 April 2002
	LEAs agree targets with my Department through their Education Development Plans. LEAs were required to submit the second generation of EDPs in January. I approved the majority of plans at the end of March. There are a small number of authorities that have yet to receive approval for their plan from their councils, all council approval is expected by the beginning of June. The targets in the EDPs are for the academic years 2002–03 and 2003–04 and were set for:
	Key Stage 2 literacy and numeracy at level 4 and above and level 5 and above
	Key Stage 3 English, maths, science and ICT at level 5 and above
	Key Stage 4 percentage to achieve five or more GCSE A-C, percentage to achieve five or more GCSE at A-G including English and maths, average point score per pupil
	Key Stage 4 children leaving care at 16+ to achieve five or more GCSE at AC and children leaving care with one or more GCSE at A-G
	Attendance targets for primary, secondary and special schools
	KS2, KS3 and GCSE/GNVQ actual and target performances for minority ethnic groups.
	The only changes from the first EDPs are that there are attendance targets rather than unauthorised absences, and that exclusion targets are no longer required.

Performance Targets

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what are (a) the agreed performance targets for (i) unauthorised absence, (ii) exclusions, (iii) key stage 2 tests, (iv) GCSEs and (v) A-levels and (b) the performance against those targets, for each local education authority in London in the most recent year for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 19 April 2002
	Performance targets for unauthorised absence, exclusions, key stage 2 tests and GCSEs were agreed by London Education Authorities in their Education Development Plans covering school years 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02.
	Performance targets for key stage 2 tests and GCSEs were agreed by London Education Authorities in their Education Development Plans covering the school years 2002 to 2007. LEAs were not required to agree exclusion targets for 2003 onwards, and absence targets have been altered to include authorised absence figures as well as unauthorised absence figures.
	The latest information on these targets together with the performance results for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 have been placed in the Library.
	Local education authorities do not agree A-Level performance targets.

Student Transport

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who is responsible for providing funding for transport for post-16 students in Essex; and how much funding is being provided for transport for post-16 students in Essex in the current academic year.

Ivan Lewis: Essex local education authority has a duty to provide and fund transport support for its post-16 students, where the Authority assesses that this is necessary under Section 509 of the 1966 Education Act.
	Account is taken of transport costs in calculating the Revenue Support Grant, however, there is no specific grant. Local education authorities (LEAs) and colleges also receive Learner Support Funds to help with the costs of student support, including transport.
	In 2001–02, Essex local education authority planned to spend £1.5 million on transport for students aged-16 and over. Additionally, a further £880,000 was planned to support students with special needs.

Sixth Form Funding

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress her Department has made on equalising funding for sixth form funding for schools and colleges.

Ivan Lewis: We are making a substantial investment in FE. We are putting an extra £237 million into the sector in 2002–03 alone, a 3 per cent. real terms increase. Total funding per student has gone up by 16 per cent. in real terms since 1997. For the academic year 2002–03 the Learning and Skills Council is raising its funding rates for courses delivered by FE sector colleges by 2.5 per cent. in cash terms, the highest increase for years. The Government remains committed to bringing up the level of funding for colleges towards that of schools. We are looking to the current spending review to secure the resources colleges need to deliver our ambitious agenda for FE, and thereby to bring up funding levels.

Community Champions Funds

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what awards have been made under the Community Champions Funds to projects in (a) the Buckingham constituency, (b) Buckinghamshire and (c) England, indicating the (i) date of award, (ii) amount awarded and (iii) details of the project in each case.

Ivan Lewis: To date, in excess of 3,500 individuals and small community groups have been awarded grants by the Community Champions Fund. Grants of up to £2,000 have been awarded in all English regions. The total amount awarded by the Community Champions Fund since 1999 is £4.5 million.
	During the lifetime of the Community Champions Fund, only one application for funding has been received from Buckinghamshire. This was supported with a grant of £1,710. The project, known as SKIDZ, is focused on the Black and Minority Ethnic young people and their parents in the region. It encourages support for community education and capitalises on young people's interest in motor vehicles in order to do this.

Teacher Trainees

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher trainees are enrolled on (a) part-time PGCE courses and (b) school centred initial teacher training

Stephen Timms: In 2001–02, 827 new entrant and continuing teacher trainees enrolled on part-time PGCE courses in England. 1,213 trainees entered courses based in School Centred Initial Teacher Training.
	The figures include forecast recruitment to courses starting in the spring and summer 2002 terms.
	Source:
	2001 Teacher Training Agency ITT Trainee Numbers Census.

Teacher Trainees

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher trainees are enrolled in two-year full-time subject conversion PGCE courses; and how many of these trainees are in their second year.

Stephen Timms: In 2001–02, 844 trainees enrolled on two-year, full-time, PGCE courses in England. Of those, 351 are on the second year of their course.
	The figures include forecast recruitment to courses starting in the spring and summer 2002 terms.
	Source:
	2001 Teacher Training Agency ITT Trainee Numbers Census.

Teacher Trainees

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher trainees are enrolled in flexible postgraduate teacher training provision.

Stephen Timms: In 2001–02, 1,764 new entrant and continuing teacher trainees enrolled on flexible Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (PGCE) courses in England.
	The numbers include forecast recruitment to courses starting in the spring and summer 2002 terms.
	Source:
	2001 Teacher Training Agency ITT Trainee Numbers Census.

Secondary Teachers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the number of secondary teachers that will be needed in schools in England in 2005.

Stephen Timms: Head teachers and governing bodies are best placed to decide on their schools' staffing requirements in the light of local circumstances and the available resources. For their part, the Government are working to improve the overall total number of teachers available for appointment and to increase the funding available to schools to pay for them.
	Between January 1997 and January 2001, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers working in the maintained schools sector in England rose by 10,990. Of those, 7,250 were employed in secondary schools. The Government have pledged to secure a further increase for the maintained sector of at least 10,000 regular teachers by 2006. The proposals to make more creative use of school support staff that my right hon. Friend described in her speech to the Social Market Foundation on 12 November will help to ensure that schools are able to use these teachers' professional skills to maximum effect.

Education Policy Costs

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the cost in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02 of the (i) National Literacy Strategy and (ii) National Numeracy Strategy.

Stephen Timms: The following funding has been allocated through the Standards Fund to support the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 National Literacy Strategy  
			 2001–02 88 
			 2001–03 103 
			   
			 National Numeracy Strategy  
			 2001–02 98 
			 2001–03 103

School Violence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many physical assaults by pupils on other pupils occurred in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) special and (d) all schools in England in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

Stephen Timms: This information is not available centrally.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Gender Pay Gap

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the extent of the gender pay gap among staff in his Department.

Rosie Winterton: This answer covers the Headquarters of the Lord Chancellor's Department, (including Associated Office), the Court Service and Public Guardianship Office.
	The Department is currently undertaking an equality audit of pay and pay related systems in partnership with the trade unions. Once data have been analysed a formal action plan will be drawn up to address any unfair imbalances between groups created as a result of existing policy. Plans for on-going monitoring of the pay and appraisal systems will be formulated following the initial report and action plan. This Equal Pay audit will in addition cover the areas of ethnicity, disability and working hours.
	The new pay and performance management arrangements for members of the Senior Civil Service will also be subject to equality monitoring.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many Private Finance Initiative projects have been subject to refinancing after the contracts have been signed; and what has been the financial effect in each case.

Michael Wills: None of the Lord Chancellor's Department's PFI contracts have been subject to refinancing.

PFI/PPPs

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the (a) private finance initiative and (b) public private partnership projects which have been delayed.

Michael Wills: Contract signature was delayed on the following private finance initiative (PFI) projects:
	CCS;
	ARAMIS;
	Libra;
	Probate Records Centre;
	Hereford and Worcester magistrates' courts;
	Humberside magistrates' courts;
	Manchester magistrates' court; and
	Derbyshire magistrates' courts.
	Contract signature has also been delayed on the following PFI projects which are still in procurement:
	Sheffield Family Hearing Court;
	East Anglia Scheme;
	Exeter Combined Court;
	Avon and Somerset magistrates' courts; and
	Bedford magistrates' court.
	Contract signature has also been delayed on the Bristol Civil Justice Centre, which is a non-PFI public private partnership.
	A project has been treated as delayed where contract signature has not been achieved by the date that was expected when the project was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Community.

Immigration Tribunal

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when she last visited the Immigration Tribunal.

Rosie Winterton: I visited the Immigration Appellate Authority in Leeds on 26 September 2001; Taylor House in London on 25 October 2001 and intend to visit Hatton Cross in the near future.

Departmental Report

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the 2002 departmental report will be published.

Michael Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 774W, by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Andrew Smith).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Civil Service (Recruitment)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the percentage of successful applicants to the Civil Service Selection Board who were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford University and (c) Cambridge University in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The Civil Service Selection Board does not record the schools that Fast Stream applicants have attended. Annex D of the annually published Fast Stream Recruitment Report provides an analysis by university of first degree of candidates each year. This data shows that the percentages of successful applicants who were educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities were as follows:
	
		Percentage 
		
			  Oxford Cambridge 
		
		
			 1997 18.4 15.9 
			 1998 17.4 17.0 
			 1999 14.1 16.0 
			 2000 17.8 14.3

Government Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to co-locate Government services in locations accessible to (a) parents of young children, (b) old people and (c) those without access to a private motor car.

Christopher Leslie: Electronic delivery of Government services provides the opportunity to bring them together in a convenient way for users, particularly those who find travel difficult. Over half of Government services are already available online, and all will be by 2005.
	The citizen portal at ukonline.gov.uk provides comprehensive information and online services tailored to specific groups of users, including parents and older people, from a single website address. In addition, to assist people who do not have Internet access at home, the Government is rolling out a national network of over 6,000 UK online centres providing convenient access in the local community.
	Furthermore, ukonline.gov.uk will be available through a number of different channels—the first being digital television. A pilot of this, which commenced on 10 April this year, aims to bring Government information and services to those who would prefer to interact with the Government via a television rather than a PC.

Civil Contingencies Secretarial

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Civil Contingencies Secretariat comprehensive review of the country's plans for dealing with emergencies will be published.

Christopher Leslie: The Civil Contingencies Secretariat's review of the country's plans for dealing with emergencies is a continuing exercise whose findings are regularly reported to the Cabinet's Civil Contingencies Committee and its three sub committees. Generally, and in accordance with long-standing convention, these plans are not made public.
	However, the responses to the Emergency Planning Review and a summary of these responses by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, have been placed in the Library of the House and placed on the website "www.ukresilience.info".

Non-departmental Public Bodies

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost in 2001–02 was of the pay increase to staff in his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible; and what the cost of the forthcoming increase will be in 2002–03.

Christopher Leslie: The Cabinet Office, the Government Offices, the Central Office of Information, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Government Car and Dispatch Agency all have separate delegated authorities over pay. The estimate of the cost of the pay increase at the time of the settlement for 2001–02 is presented in the table. The estimate of the cost for 2002–03 for the Equal Opportunities Commission is also presented. Costs for the other organisations cannot be given for 2002–03 because the pay increases have yet to be agreed.
	
		£ million 
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office(6) 2.2 — 
			 Government Offices(6) 2.6 — 
			 Central Office of Information(6) 0.7 — 
			 Government Car and Dispatch Agency(7) 0.3 — 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission(8) 0.2 0.2 
		
	
	(6) Refers to settlement year 1 August to 31 July.
	(7) Refers to settlement year 1 April to 31 March and excludes non-industrial staff.
	(8) Refers to settlement year 1 April to 31 March.

Consultation Documents

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which consultation documents published by Government Departments and their agencies in 2001 did not carry the consultation criteria as recommended in the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Christopher Leslie: Responsibility for compliance with the Code of Practice rests with individual Departments and their agencies.

Government Documents

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of the consultation documents published by Government departments or their agencies in 2001 were made available on the internet.

Christopher Leslie: Monitoring and compliance with the Code of Practice on Written Consultation, including the requirement to make consultation documents available on the internet, rests with individual Departments and their agencies. The Cabinet Office does not, therefore, keep a central statistical record of the percentage of documents put on websites.

TREASURY

Form DOM1

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many completed versions of Form DOM1 the Inland Revenue has received in each of the last five fiscal years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I regret that the publication of such statistics in a form which would enable me to say how many completed versions of Form DOM1 the Inland Revenue has received in each of the last five fiscal years would involve disproportionate cost.

State Pension

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action the Treasury has taken to quantify unfunded state pension liabilities in Britain and the European Union since 1996; if he will publish figures for (a) unfunded state pension liabilities and (b) unfunded occupational scheme liabilities for (ii) the UK and (ii) those EU countries for which comparable figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Smith: The Government Actuary's Department estimates that as at 31 March 2001 the liabilities for UK unfunded public service pension schemes were about £350 billion and figures for schemes administered by Departments are now published annually in pension scheme Resource Accounts. We do not have comparable information for unfunded private sector schemes or for equivalent unfunded public and private occupational arrangements in other EU countries. On a slightly different basis the Government Actuary has estimated that, as at 1 April 1999, discounted future expenditure on the state pension from past contributions is £1,108 billion (as shown in Table 13.4 of Inland Revenue Statistics 2001, on the Inland Revenue website).
	Comparable figures for state pension expenditures across the EU are not published by Governments. However, the European Commission's Economic Policy Committee (EPC) has published projections of annual expenditure on state pension-related expenditure as a share of GDP in EU member states (in the EPC report "Budgetary Challenges posed by Ageing Populations" of 24 October 2001). Since this study the UK Government has announced the introduction of the pension credit from October 2003, which will slightly increase UK public pension spending as a share of GDP, although this expected to stay broadly around its current level in the long-term ("The Pension Credit: long-term projections", DWP, January 2002).

Pension Rights

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to public sector pension schemes of the House of Lords' ruling in February 2001 on the pension rights of part-time workers.

Andrew Smith: It is difficult to estimate precisely the numbers of part-timers eligible for retrospective access to public service schemes. But on the basis of estimates that up to 60,000 part-timers may be granted access, the resulting increase in the present value of public service pension liabilities may lie in the range of £0.5 to £1 billion. These pension liabilities will be payable over a period in excess of 40 years.

Small Businesses (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the economic prospects for small businesses within the Greater London area.

Paul Boateng: In terms of business creation, the Greater London area continues to out-perform other UK regions. Recent figures show that the number of VAT registrations in London per 10,000 residents is 65 compared with a UK average of 39. However, as in all regions, the level of small business activity varies markedly across Greater London.
	Small firms in London have access to a range of national and local policies and programmes designed to support new and small businesses. These include financial support (through schemes such as the Small Firms' Loan Guarantee Scheme) and business advice and guidance. The London Regional Venture Capital Fund will be up-and-running shortly provided £50 million of investment for small firms with growth potential.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Julia Drown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 11 April 2002, Official Report, column 576W, on heavily indebted poor countries, if he will estimate the proportion of the additional $50 billion per annum which would be devoted to debt relief, broken down by country.

Paul Boateng: The cost of achieving the International Development Targets has been estimated at an additional US$50 billion per annum, equivalent to a doubling of current global aid. The commitment by the US and EU is a major step towards meeting the requirements for this additional US$50 billion; there has not yet been full commitment to deliver the entire amount, nor decisions made on how such an amount could be delivered if the total was achieved.
	Debt reduction under the HIPC initiative can therefore be only one element of the additional finance required. Both the US and EU have yet to decide on how to distribute this increased level of resources, we expect that one of the ways could be through debt relief.
	At the moment the HIPC initiative is helping to increase social expenditures in countries receiving HIPC debt relief by $1.7 billion in 2001–02, equivalent to 1.2 per cent. of GDP. On average, health and education spending account for 65 per cent. (40 per cent. on education and 25 per cent. on health) of the use of HIPC debt relief.

EU Energy Tax

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had at EU level on the proposed EU energy tax; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government continues to take part in discussions about proposals for an Energy Products Directive.

Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the (a) total cost and (b) cost per claimant to businesses for administering (i) working families tax credit, (ii) children's tax credit, (iii) child tax credit and (iv) the working tax credit in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the costs to employers of operating the Working Families' Tax Credit and the Disabled Person's Tax Credit are given in paragraphs 40–46 of the regulatory impact assessments for the Tax Credits Bill 1999, a copy of which is in the Library. There are over 1.3 million recipients of these tax credits.
	Employers are involved in administering the Children's Tax Credit only through implementing the PAYE codes routinely supplied by Inland Revenue, which include adjustments for the credit as appropriate. No estimate is available of the additional cost incurred by employers.
	There have been no costs to employers in administering the Child Tax Credit or the Working Tax Credit in the last 12 months.

Tax Liability

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on recent action which he has taken to ensure that the full tax liability is paid by very wealthy individuals.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 April 2002
	Whilst recognising the right of businesses and individuals to manage their tax affairs efficiently, the Government is committed to ensuring a fairer tax system by countering abuses and contrived avoidance schemes. Each Budget since 1997 has included measures to secure the tax base and combat avoidance by blocking tax loopholes, including those used by wealthy individuals. We will continue to stop abuses of the tax system which benefit a small minority at the expense of taxpayers generally.
	My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his 2002 Budget speech reiterated this commitment when he said that, "to ensure fairness for taxpayers and businesses, we must act swiftly to close tax loopholes and be vigilant against tax avoidance". He also announced that the Government is reviewing the complex rules of residence and domicile.

Delegated Legislation

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Utilities Contracts (Amendment) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions) (Designated Date for the Securities and Futures Authority) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Climate Change Levy (Electricity and Gas) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Official Listing of Securities) (Transitional Provisions) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services Act 1986 (Extension of Scope of Act and Meaning of Collective Investment Scheme) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Exemption) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Open-Ended Investment Companies Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Capital Allowances (Energy-Saving Plant and Machinery) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Commencement No. 5) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(10)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions) (Authorised Persons etc.) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Variation of Threshold Conditions) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(12)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (EEA Passport Rights) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(13)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions) (Ombudsman Schemes and Complaints Scheme) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(14)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Climate Change Levy (Combined Heat and Power Stations) Prescribed Conditions and Efficiency Percentages Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(15)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 4) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(16)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Personal Portfolio Bonds (Tax) (Amendment) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(17)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Disclosure of Confidential Information) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(18)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulations Relating to Money Laundering) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(19)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) (Miscellaneous) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(20)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Disclosure of Information by Prescribed Persons) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(21)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Social Security (Contributions) (Amendment No. 4) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(22)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(23)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 5) (Northern Ireland) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(24)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services (EEA Passport Rights) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(25)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 7) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(26)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Commencement No. 4 and Transitional Provision) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(27)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 6) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(28)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Capital Gains Tax (Gilt-Edged Securities) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(29)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Public Offers of Securities (Exemptions) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(30)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Underlying Tax on Dividends and Dual Resident Company) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(31)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Designated Professional Bodies) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(32)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Dissolution of the Insurance Brokers Registration Council) (Consequential Provisions) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(33)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the National Savings Stock Register (Amendment) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(34)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Insolvency) (Definition of "Insurer") Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(35)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Controllers) (Exemption) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(36)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consultation with Competent Authorities) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(37)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (TradePoint) (Amendment) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(38)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Climate Change Levy (Use as Fuel) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(39)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential Amendments) (Pre-Commencement Modifications) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(40)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions and Savings) (Civil Remedies, Discipline, Criminal Offences etc) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(41)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Service of Notices) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(42)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Collective Investment Schemes Constituted in Other EEA States) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(43)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 6) (Northern Ireland) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(44)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Income Tax (Car Benefits) (Reduction of Value of Appropriate Percentage) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(45)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Official Listing of Securities) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(46)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions and Savings) (Rules) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(47)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Appointed Representatives) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(48)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Commencement No. 2) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(49)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Communications by Auditors) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(50)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) (Amendment) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(51)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions) (Controllers) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(52)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Appointed Representatives) (Amendment) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(53)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions) (Reviews of Pensions Business) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(54)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Value Added Tax (Conversion of Buildings) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(55)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Climate Change Agreements (Energy-intensive Installations) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(56)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Transitional Provisions, Repeals and Savings) (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(57)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) (Miscellaneous) (No. 2) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(58)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Compensation Scheme: Electing Participants) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(59)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Commencement No. 3) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(60)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Building Societies (Restricted Transactions) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(61)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Competition Information) (Specification of Enactment etc) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(62)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (New Deal Consequential Amendments) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(63)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Markets and Insolvency (Settlement Finality) (Revocation) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(64)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 5) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(65)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Gaming Contracts) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(66)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 7) (Northern Ireland) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(67)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Meaning of "Policy" and "Policy holder") Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(68)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits Up-rating Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(69)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 4) (Northern Ireland) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(70)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Value Added Tax (Refund of Tax to Museums and Galleries) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(71)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Carrying on Regulated Activities by Way of Business) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(72)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Professions) (Non-Exempt Activities) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(73)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Tax Credits (New Deal Consequential Amendments) (Northern Ireland) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(74)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Mutual Societies) Order; and if he will make a statement;
	(75)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Law Applicable to Contracts of Insurance) Regulations 2001; and if he will make a statement;
	(76)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Own-initiative Power) (Overseas Regulations) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(77)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Rights of Action) Regulations (Commencement); and if he will make a statement;
	(78)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Climate Change Levy (Solid Fuel) Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(79)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Offers of Securities) Order; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 17 April 2002, Official Report, columns 976–82W.

HEALTH

GP Registrars

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of GP registrars intending not to work full-time on qualifying.

John Hutton: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Information is not collected or held centrally on the future working intentions of GP registrars.

Ambulance Service

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of responses was achieved to (a) Category A calls within eight minutes and (b) category B calls within 14 minutes in (i) Q4 2000–01, (ii) Q1 2001–02, (iii) Q2 2001–02 and (iv) Q3 2001–02 by urban ambulance services.

Hazel Blears: Information about ambulance responses to emergency calls is not available on a quarterly basis. The most recent information available for urban and all other ambulance NHS trusts about the proportion of emergency calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's target response times is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 2000–01". A copy of the bulletin is in the Library and available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0115.htm.
	Latest provisional management information indicates that at February 2002, 28 out of the 32 ambulance trusts in England were achieving our key target of responding to 75 per cent. of immediately life threatening '999 calls' within eight minutes (category A). All ambulance trusts are expected to achieve the 75 per cent. target during 2002.

Ambulance Service

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the average turnaround times for ambulance crew for (a) England, (b) NHS trusts and (c) each NHS region in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Agency Nurses

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what transitional arrangements he intends to introduce to enable criminal records checks to be made in respect of agency nurses in the first year of operation of Criminal Records Bureau disclosures.

Jacqui Smith: Paragraph 6(c) of the Care Standards Act 2000 (Commencement No. 9 (England) and Transitional and Savings Provisions) order 2001 sets out the transitional arrangements for the provision to the National Care Standards Commission of documentation relating to criminal record certificates in respect of persons supplied by existing licensed nurses agencies.

Health Staff

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general practitioners, (b) nurses, (c) cancer specialists and (d) consultants per 1,000 head of population there were in (i) St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the North West, (iv) England and (v) Scotland in (1) 1998, (2) 1999, (3) 2000, (4) 2001 and (5) the quarter to 31 March 2002.

John Hutton: The latest census figures collected are for September 2001, 2002 figures are not yet available. Liverpool health authority contains the data for Merseyside. The Department does not have figures for Scotland.
	Available information is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) -- Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including GMS practice nurses), medical and dental consultants, hospital medical staff within the cancer specialities and general practitioners by specified health authorities within the north west regional office area and per 1,000 population as at 30 September each year
		
			  Headcount Per 1,000 population 
		
		
			  1998 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 323,460 7 
			 North west 46,990 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,370 9 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,720 5 
			
			 All practitioners(9)   
			 England 29,700 1 
			 North west 3,830 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 1 
			
			 UPEs(10)   
			 England 27,390 1 
			 North west 3,500 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 1 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 22,220 0 
			 North west 3,130 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 440 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,350 0 
			 North west 710 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,270 0 
			 North west 450 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 1999   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 329,640 7 
			 North west 47,920 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,420 10 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,770 5 
			
			 All practitioners(9)   
			 England 29,990 1 
			 North west 3,900 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 1 
			
			 UPEs(10)   
			 England 27,590 1 
			 North west 3,600 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 1 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 23,220 0 
			 North west 3,310 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 440 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 0 
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,690 0 
			 North west 760 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 80 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,360 0 
			 North west 470 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 10 0 
			
			 2000   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 335,950 7 
			 North west 48,540 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,620 10 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,790 5 
			
			 All practitioners(9)   
			 England 30,250 1 
			 North west 3,910 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 1 
			
			 UPEs(10)   
			 England 27,700 1 
			 North west 3,610 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 1 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 24,310 0 
			 North west 3,430 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 450 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,960 0 
			 North west 820 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,530 0 
			 North west 480 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 2001   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 350,380 7 
			 North west 49,720 8 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,800 11 
			 0QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,910 6 
			
			 All practitioners(9)   
			 England 30,680 1 
			 North west 3,950 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 290 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 200 1 
			 UPEs(10)   
			 England 27,840 1 
			 North west 3,600 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 1 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 1 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 25,690 1 
			 North west 3,590 1 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 480 11 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 120 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 6,380 0 
			 North west 840 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 0 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,720 0 
			 North west 490 0 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 60 0 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 10 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	(9) All practitioners (excluding GP retainers) include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other.
	(10) UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.
	Headcount figures are rounded to the nearest ten, rates of population are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	Figures exclude agency staff.
	Population data based on 1998 figures and projections for subsequent years.
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
	Office for National Statistics.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) -- Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including GMS practice nurses), medicaland dental consultants, hospital medical staff within the cancer specialities and general practitioners by specified health authorities within the north west regional office area and per 1,000,000 population as at 30 September each year
		
			  Headcount per 100,000 population 
		
		
			  1998 
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 323,460 654 
			 North west 46,990 712 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,370 946 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,720 517 
			
			 All practitioners(11)   
			 England 29,700 60 
			 North west 3,830 58 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 60 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 58 
			 UPEs(12)   
			 England 27,390 55 
			 North west 3,500 54 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 55 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 55 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 22,220 45 
			 North west 3,130 47 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 440 94 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 31 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,350 11 
			 North west 710 11 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 19 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 6 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,270 7 
			 North west 450 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 10 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 5 
			
			 1999   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 329,640 663 
			 North west 47,920 727 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,420 965 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,770 532 
			
			 All practitioners(11)   
			 England 29,990 60 
			 North west 3,900 59 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 61 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 58 
			
			 UPEs(12)   
			 England 27,590 55 
			 North west 3,600 55 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 55 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 55 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 23,220 47 
			 North west 3,310 50 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 440 97 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 30 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,690 11 
			 North west 760 12 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 80 18 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 6 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,360 7 
			 North west 470 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 11 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 10 4 
			 2000   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 335,950 672 
			 North west 48,540 734 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,620 1,011 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,790 540 
			
			 All practitioners(11)   
			 England 30,250 61 
			 North west 3,910 59 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 280 61 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 190 56 
			
			 UPEs(12)   
			 England 27,700 55 
			 North west 3,610 55 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 55 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 54 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 24,310 49 
			 North west 3,430 52 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 450 99 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 100 32 
			
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 5,960 12 
			 North west 820 12 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 19 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 7 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,530 7 
			 North west 480 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 50 12 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 5 
			
			 2001   
			  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses) 
			 England 350,380 698 
			 North west 49,720 753 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 4,800 1,058 
			 0QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 1,910 581 
			
			 All practitioners(11)   
			 England 30,680 61 
			 North west 3,950 60 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 290 63 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 200 61 
			
			 UPEs(12)   
			 England 27,840 55 
			 North west 3,600 54 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 250 55 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 180 54 
			
			 All HCHS Consultants   
			 England 25,690 51 
			 North west 3,590 54 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 480 105 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 120 36 
			 All cancer specialist staff   
			 England 6,380 13 
			 North west 840 13 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 90 20 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 20 5 
			
			 All cancer specialist consultants   
			 England 3,720 7 
			 North west 490 7 
			 QC2 Liverpool HA 60 13 
			 QC5 St. Helen's and Knowsley HA 10 4 
		
	
	(11) All practitioners (excluding GP retainers) include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA), PMS Other
	(12) UPEs include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Notes:
	Headcount figures are rounded to the nearest 10, rates of population are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	Figures exclude agency staff.
	Population data based on 1998 figures and projections for subsequent years.
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census
	Office for National Statistics

Cancelled Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the steps being taken to reduce the number of operations cancelled at short notice.

John Hutton: From 1 April 2002 any patient whose operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons will be offered another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or can choose to have their treatment funded at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.
	On 5 March 2001, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that the NHS Modernisation Agency would be developing good practice in operating theatres and ensure this is spread throughout the NHS. Initial guidance was issued in December 2001. Further guidance to improving operating theatre performance will be published later this year.
	In addition, £8.5 million has been made available to assist NHS trusts in reducing cancelled operations. NHS trusts with the greatest challenges will receive £75,000 to fund a full-time manager and support from doctors to tackle the problem. They will have to meet specific targets set by the Modernisation Agency and their performance will be subject to monthly reviews. All other trusts will receive up to £35,000 incentive funding to help them reduce the number of cancelled operations.
	The Government have also taken a number of other steps that will contribute to the reduction of cancelled operations.
	A £100 million programme of investment was announced in November 2001. This will contribute to reducing hospital bed occupancy rates by purchasing additional operations in the private sector.
	NHS Plan target to have 20,000 more nurses, midwives and health visitors, 7,500 more consultants, 2,000 more GPs and 6,500 more therapists and other health professionals by 2004.
	Introduction of on-the-spot booking systems to ensure hospitals organise their clinic slots and theatre sessions more productively.
	A programme of investment in NHS facilities, including Diagnostic and Treatment Centres, to create additional acute capacity and separate the bulk of routine elective care from competing emergency pressures.

Commissioner for Children

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to introduce a Commissioner for Children in England.

Jacqui Smith: The Government take the needs of children very seriously and are committed to improving safeguards for children. We are following with interest the developments both in Wales—where a Commissioner has already been appointed—and in Northern Ireland, where a similar course is being followed. We are committed to learning all the lessons from these initiatives that prove relevant to England. We have made major advances through the establishment of the Children and Young People's Unit, and the appointment of Dr. Roger Morgan as the Children's Rights Director and Professor Al Aynsley-Green as the National Clinical Director for Children.

National Care Standards

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people responded to the consultation on national care standards; how many welcomed the introduction of new standards; and how many did so subject to the provision of adequate resources.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The number of responses to the various consultations on national minimum standards was as follows:
	Care homes for older people: 1,250
	Care homes for younger adults: 500
	Children's homes: 227
	Fostering services: 68
	Boarding schools and FE colleges: 141.
	The overwhelming majority of respondents welcomed the introduction of new standards. This included the majority of providers even though they also highlighted the resource implications.

NHS Plan News

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of NHS Plan News were returned for recycling by NHS premises.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 March 2002
	As part of the distribution management process for NHS Plan News, all NHS organisations and social service departments were asked to suggest the number of copies likely to be required by that organisation.
	Only in the case of distribution errors or changes in requirements did the Department arrange for the return of copies. Amendments to the distribution database were immediate. It was not, therefore, necessary to retain information about copies collected or returned.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment has been made by the NICE on the effectiveness of TNF alpha blockers in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis;
	(2)  whether TNF alpha-blockers are available on NHS prescription.

Jacqui Smith: TNF alpha blockers are available on the national health service (NHS). All licensed medicines are available on the NHS unless they are listed on schedule 10 or 11 to the NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 which restricts prescribing by GPs.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on 22 March 2002, recommending the use in appropriate cases of etanercept for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and etanercept and infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis.
	NICE's guidance is available on the internet at www.nice.org.uk or by writing to NICE at 11 Strand, London, WC2N 5HR.

Patients Charter

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Patient's Charter provides commitments to detained patients.

Jacqui Smith: The Patient's Charter for Mental Health Services applies to services provided by the national health service for people with a mental illness. It includes a section on care under the Mental Health Act summarising the rights of detained patients and drawing attention to the provisions and safeguards laid down within the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Health Code of Practice, which protect patient rights.

Mental Health

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of delays in cases waiting for a mental health review tribunal hearing; and how many patients are waiting for a mental health review tribunal hearing.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is responsible for providing administrative support to the tribunal including the handling of applications and organisation of hearings. Every effort is made to ensure that cases of patients detained under section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 are heard within the statutory time limit of seven days that is set out in the Act. All other applications are scheduled for hearing as soon as possible following receipt. During the period January 2001 to December 2001 20,274 application were received in England and 11,765 hearings were held. The difference between the number of applications made and the number of cases heard is accounted for by applicants withdrawing of their own volition, adjournment of hearings on the authority of the regional chairmen, change in status of the patient's detention under the Act or discharge from detention by the responsible medical officer before the date of the hearing. Of 3,646 section 2 cases heard during the period 22 per cent. were disposed of outside the statutory time limit. The average waiting times for hearings are shown in the table.
	
		Average waiting times (January to December 2001)
		
			  Time 
		
		
			 Section 2 7.5 days 
			 Non-restricted 7.6 weeks 
			 Restricted 18.8 weeks

Mental Health

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is allocated to mental health care per capita (a) for patients in prisons and (b) for patients who are not in prison, in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The majority of funding for mental health care is allocated as part of health authority general allocations and separate figures for mental health care are not available. It is not therefore possible to provide details of funding allocated to mental health care per capita.

Mental Health

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinics (a) in London and (b) in England offer electric shock therapy for forms of mental illness.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Schizophrenia

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans the Government have to improve training and support for families and close friends of people suffering from schizophrenia;
	(2)  what additional support and training for families and close friends of people suffering from schizophrenia has been put in place since 1997;

Jacqui Smith: The National Service Framework for Mental Health (MHNSF), launched in 1999, sets out clear standards for the modernisation of mental health services by setting out new standards for the delivery of specialised assessment, treatment and care.
	It covers the main issues for mental health services, for service users, their carers and those working in local health and social care communities, including action on stigma and inequalities in mental health.
	In the MHNSF, Standard Six was set to provide support specifically to carers. It states that
	All individuals who provide regular and substantial care for a person on care programme approach should:
	have an assessment of their caring, physical and mental health needs, repeated on at least an annual basis;
	have their own written care plan which is given to them and implemented in discussion with them.
	By October 2004, mental health services are expected to have identified and assessed all carers of those people with mental health problems as well as agreeing and implementing their carer support plans. To ensure that the friends and families of those people with mental health problems receive the information they need to support them in their role, the Department has produced a leaflet, "A Commitment to Carers", that informs families and friends what they should expect from mental health services. This leaflet was widely distributed not only to service users and their families but also to mental health services and helps to outline that modern, responsive mental health services need to acknowledge the importance of the support networks that families and friends provide to those people with mental health problems.
	The NHS Plan, launched in 2000, states that:
	by 2004, 700 more staff will be recruited to increase the breaks available for carers, and to strengthen carer support networks. There are very few such staff at present. By then around 165,000 carers will be receiving the support they need to continue to provide care.
	The Department is developing guidelines on a service specification for support of carers of people with mental health problems. These guidelines will be included in the Mental Health Policy Implementation guide by May 2002.

Schizophrenia

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research (a) has been carried out since 1997 and (b) is planned to assess (i) the importance of swift treatment for patients suffering from schizophrenia and (ii) the impact on their recovery of delayed treatment and care;
	(2)  what research is planned to assess the different rates of recovery of patients suffering from schizophrenia, according to (a) different social groups and (b) whether they received private or public care;
	(3)  what research (a) has been carried out since 1997 and (b) is planned to assess the effectiveness of different non-drug treatments and combinations of treatments, with particular reference to (i) one-to-one and (ii) group therapy for schizophrenia.

Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. In 1999–2000 MRC spent £17.6 million on mental health disorders research which includes the investigation, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the whole spectrum of mental health problems ranging from mild depression to severe psychosis.
	The Department has funded a number of projects on schizophrenia since 1997.
	Ongoing projects
	The CUTLASS Study: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of atypical anti-psychotic drugs in severe schizophrenia.
	The management of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in primary care.
	Group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia.
	Implementing family interventions for people with schizophrenia in a routine clinical service.
	South Thames evidence-based practice: implementation and evaluation (STEP).
	Completed projects
	Suicide in Schizophrenia: a systematic review of risk factors and review of effects of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments in preventing suicide.
	A systematic evaluation of the clinical and cost effectiveness of 'atypical' anti-psychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia.
	Systematic reviews of (i) comparative studies of depot neuroleptic drugs, and (ii) studies of oral v. depot neuroleptic agents for patients with schizophrenia: clinical, social and economic outcomes.
	Systematic review of the effectiveness of day care for people with severe mental disorders.
	The clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the use of the newer (atypical) anti-psychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia.
	Development and evaluation of personalised patient information for patients with schizophrenia living in the community.
	What factors are associated with continuing contact with specialist psychiatric services among people with chronic psychosis identified in general practice.
	A pilot study of the mental health crisis cards.
	Details of all Department of Health funded research are available on the National Research Register (NRR) www.doh.gov.uk/research.
	A number of initiatives are either in progress or identified for future action. The Department has commissioned a literature review and scoping exercise relating to the early intervention in psychosis for the development of service models. Further primary research in this area may be required. In addition, the Department has also commissioned work in relation to services for women, in-patient care and assertive outreach. Although not explicitly targeting people with schizophrenia, they will clearly also be addressed as part of these studies. Future priorities include dual diagnosis (substance misuse and severe mental illness) and the management of mental health in primary care.
	The Department has recently conducted a review of mental health research carried out in the NHS. Future research strategy will take account of the gaps identified.

Public Health

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on (a) the statutory responsibility for public health matters, (b) the responsibility for preventative action in support of public health and (c) the funding responsibility for these functions in cases where the boundary of a primary care trust is not wholly within or consistent with the boundary of a proposed strategic health authority.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 18 March 2002
	We have set out in "Shifting the Balance of Power: the Next Steps" the public health functions and responsibilities of NHS bodies. Necessary and appropriate legislation and regulations to implement these functions are being laid before Parliament.
	The NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill currently before Parliament includes a requirement for each primary care trust to have a director of public health as a board member. This will form part of a public health delivery system which will have a strong public health team in every PCT focused on improving health, preventing serious illness and reducing health inequalities in the populations served to ensure maximum improvement to health through prevention and other interventions.
	In future the intention is that allocations will be made direct to primary care trusts subject to the passage of legislation through Parliament. PCTs will receive an allocation for their relevant population. Therefore the small number of PCTs who have partial co-terminosity with strategic health authorities will not be affected adversely nor will their use of funding to support public health programmes locally.

Cataracts

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for cataract extraction in (a) England and (b) each NHS trust for each year since 1997–98; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Information on the average median waiting time for cataract extraction in England and each NHS trust for each year since 1997–98 has been placed in the Library.

Underspend

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) capital and (b) revenue underspend in his Department is expected to be in the financial year 2001–02.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Estimated outturn figures for 2001–02 were published in the Budget report on 17 April.

Fire Safety

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money he intends to make available this year to improve fire safety in the NHS.

John Hutton: Every year we make available to national health service trusts significant funds in the form of block capital allocations for the purpose of improving fire safety together with other priorities. A separate figure for fire is not identified. Further, we are currently implementing the largest ever hospital building programme in the history of the NHS which is replacing increasing amounts of worn out stock with modern, high quality buildings, which is contributing to our drive to raise the standards of the estate.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of car parking facilities at the new Worcestershire Royal hospital.

Yvette Cooper: I am advised that the car park requirements for the new Worcestershire hospital have been prepared by traffic consultants for the trust, using planning standards. Both Worcester city and Worcestershire county planning and highways officers have agreed the car park calculations for the site.
	At a meeting on 10 January 2002 the Worcester city council planning sub committee approved the provision of 337 additional car parking spaces on the south car park and this work is due for completion at the end of June 2002. This will bring the total of available spaces on site to 1,322.
	In the meantime, I am advised that the trust has negotiated with the new owners of the Ronkswood site to allow staff to park there until September 2002, freeing up car parking spaces for visitors. Two mini buses run to and from Ronkswood and various points around the Worcestershire Royal hospital between 6 am and 10 pm daily.

Adult Protection

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 941W, regarding protection of vulnerable adults, if he will list the relevant stakeholders that will be consulted in the exercise.

Jacqui Smith: We are planning to begin the consultation exercise in the early summer. The stakeholders that will be consulted will be all councils with social services responsibilities, a wide range of relevant independent sector agencies, the NHS and independent health care sector and employment organisations. The consultation document will also be published on the Department's website.

Residential Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average daily number of available beds in residential care for (a) mental illnesses and (b) learning disabilities in (i) St. Helens and Knowsley health authority, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the North West (iv) England and (v) Scotland in (1) 1998, (2) 1999, (3) 2000, (4) 2001 and (5) the quarter to 31 March 2002.

Jacqui Smith: Annual information on the average daily number of available NHS residential care beds for England, regional office areas and each NHS trust is on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/ hospitalactivity. Information on the number of places in local authority and independent sector care homes at 31 March for the relevant years in given in the table.
	Information relating to Scotland is a matter for the devolved Administration.
	
		Places in local authority and independent sector residential and nursing care homes for mentally ill an learning disabled people -- Rounded numbers at 31 March
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 St. Helens and Knowsley HA 
			 Mental illness(13) 390 430 430 450 
			 Learning disability 410 300 310 320 
			 Merseyside 
			 Mental illness(13) 2,760 2,860 2,740 2,880 
			 Learning disability 1,930 1,850 1,840 1,940 
			 North West 
			 Mental illness(13) 9,300 9,910 10,030 9,620 
			 Learning disability 5,390 5,020 5,440 5,360 
			 England 
			 Mental illness(13) 66,500 66,180 68,760 68,880 
			 Learning disability 53,480 55,290 57,410 47,090 
		
	
	(13) Includes homes for elderly mentally ill people
	Source:
	DH Returns

Residential Care

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the eligibility criteria for people with dementia towards help in meeting their costs should they require residential care; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Government expect that access to care services should be determined on the basis of individuals' needs and risks to independence, rather than reference to particular health conditions or other circumstances. Guidance on fair eligibility criteria for adult social care will be published shortly.
	When individuals need to enter residential care their eligibility for financial support from local councils, and the contribution they should make to care home fees, is determined in accordance with the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992. All residents are treated equally under these regulations.

Stroke Services

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which general hospitals have plans to introduce a specialist stroke service by April 2004;
	(2)  what action he will take to ensure that general hospitals without a plan to introduce a specialist stroke service by April 2004 address this issue;
	(3)  if all general hospitals providing care for people with strokes have met the April 2002 milestone, as stated in the National Service Framework for Older People, to develop plans for the introduction of a specialist stroke service by April 2004; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what resources are available to assist general hospitals treating people with stroke to introduce a specialist stroke service by April 2004.

Jacqui Smith: The NHS National Planning Framework for 2002–03, published at the end of last year establishes the delivery of the milestones set within the National Service Framework for Older People including the first Stroke milestone of April 2002 as a national priority for actin and achievement. The year on year increases in the funding of the NHS and social care provide the basis for appropriate financial support and priority setting at local level in relation to the development of stroke care, depending on the starting point in each individual area.
	Progress against the April 2002 Stroke milestone will be available in the summer. Informal reports from regional offices indicate that the milestone should be met in all but a few cases. Any hospital identified by the strategic health authority in this monitoring process as not having plans will be offered appropriate advice.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the target date of April 2001 for the establishment of new performance appraisal arrangements for all staff of the Food Standards Agency was met.

Yvette Cooper: New performance appraisal arrangements were introduced for staff employed by the Food Standards Agency with the first reports being completed from April 2001.

Food Standards Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the result is of the examination by the Food Standards Agency, in co-operation with the Public Health Laboratory Service and others, of the best means of gathering data for the food poisoning baseline.

Yvette Cooper: At its public board meeting on 9 May 2001, the Food Standards Agency's board agreed that laboratory reports of the major foodborne bacteria, excluding those cases reported to have been acquired abroad, provided the most robust basis for setting the baseline for its target to reduce foodborne disease over a five-year period. Information on laboratory-reported cases is provided to the agency by the National Surveillance Centres. Based on laboratory reports for the year ending 31 December 2000, the baseline figure is 62,209. This was announced by the agency on 23 August 2001.

Hospital Beds

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in (a) England and (b) each NHS trust in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Information on the average daily number of available and occupied beds for England and for each national health service trust in each of the last five years is on the Department's website:www.doh.gov.uk/ hospitalactivity.

Hospital Beds

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average daily number of (a) available beds open overnight and (b) occupied beds for wards open overnight for (i) acute wards, (ii) geriatric wards, (iii) mental illness wards (iv) maternity wards and (v) learning disability wards, in (A) St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority, (B) Merseyside, (C) the North West, (D) England and (E) Scotland in (1) 1998, (2) 1999, (3) 2000, (4) 2001 and (5) the quarter to 31 March 2002.

Jacqui Smith: Annual information on the average daily number of available and occupied beds for England, regional office areas and each NHS trust is on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/ hospitalactivity.
	Information relating to Scotland is a matter for the devolved Administration.

Advisory Group on Radiation, Risk and Society

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 438, what the membership is of the Advisory Group on Radiation, Risk and Society; what the (a) terms of reference, and (b) criteria for the choice of members are; and if he will make a statement on what guidelines individual members of the group have been given on (i) disclosing proceedings and ii) publishing material subsequently, that relates to the advisory group.

Yvette Cooper: The National Radiological Protection Board's Radiation, Risk and Society Advisory Group (R,RSAG) was set up by NRPB in 2001. The R,RSAG is an independent advisory group that reports to the board of NRPB whose minutes are published on the NRPB website (www.nrpb.org). R,RSAG membership and terms of reference are set out. Members have been drawn from a number of academic disciplines. Criteria for membership are academic experience in how to explain risk in general and radiological risk in particular to the public and a willingness to serve. The constraints on membership are the need for a group that is not too big to allow views to be debated adequately and the need for several academic disciplines to be represented.
	The group has discussed disclosure of its proceedings. It was agreed that the group's considerations and discussions would remain confidential until an agreed position was ready to be made public. Papers and reports from the group would be published but would not be released during the drafting process. Minutes of meetings would be published on the web.
	Radiation, Risk and Society Advisory Group
	Membership
	Chairman
	Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, University of Durham
	Members
	Professor Ruth Byrne, Trinity College, Dublin
	Ms Deborah Cohen, BBC
	Professor William Gelletly, University of Surrey
	Mr. Edward McConnell, The Marlborough School
	Professor Jim McQuaid, Royal Academy of Engineering
	Dr. Michael Murphy, University of Oxford
	Professor Nick Pidgeon, University of East Anglia
	Professor Simon Wessely, Institute of Psychiatry
	Dr. Hilary Walker, Department of Health, also attends by invitation.
	Secretariat
	Mr. John Croft, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton
	Dr. Roy Hamlet, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton
	Dr. Jill Meara, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton
	Terms of Reference
	The assessment, on a continuing basis, of what the public wants to know about radiation, risk, and how society will be affected by such issues. It will do this by
	Listening to the public and understanding their concerns. The telephone inquiries are a rich source of such information. This would include meeting with the public and pressure groups.
	Providing education and information on radiation and risk.
	Ensuring that the public know how decisions are made in NRPB, including the role of scientific experts, and public involvement.
	Enabling the public to understand and be involved in decisions involving radiation hazards.
	Raising awareness of NRPB.
	Making the findings and recommendations from the work of R,RSAG widely available within NRPB and to other organisations.

Dental Care

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he plans to introduce free dental care to those who are unemployed or on low incomes;
	(2)  what NHS dental services have to be paid for and by whom; and if he plans to lower dental charges.

Jacqui Smith: Many patients receiving national health service dental treatment are either exempt from charges or can receive partial help with the cost. People who fall into the following categories are exempt from charges:
	Aged under 18.
	Aged under 19 and in full-time education.
	Receiving income support or income based jobseeker's allowance.
	Pregnant or has borne a child within the last 12 calendar months.
	Receiving working families tax credits or disabled person's tax credits, which are not reduced by more than £72.20 per week.
	Patients not entitled to free treatment may be able to pay a reduced amount under the NHS low income scheme.
	Patients who are not exempt from charges pay 80 per cent. of the cost of their treatment, up to a maximum of £366 per course of treatment. The NHS pays the remaining 20 per cent., and any charges over and above £366.
	There are no immediate plans to change the exemption categories or the proportion of the charge paid by patients.

Dental Care

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the provision of NHS dental care; and what measures the Government have taken to increase this provision;
	(2)  how many dentists there are in the NHS; and what action can be taken if someone cannot gain access to an NHS dentist.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for the provision of dental services in England. Provision of services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.
	22,439 national health service dentists were working in England at 30 September 2001. This includes dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), personal dental service, community and hospital dental services and salaried dentists in the GDS.
	This figure is on a headcount basis rather than whole time equivalent and includes those working part-time. Some dentists work in more than one dental service. These dentists will be counted in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only.
	Following the Prime Minister's pledge the systems are now operating for patients to obtain national health service dental treatment by phoning NHS Direct. NHS Direct is handling about 10,000 dental calls a month and directing patients on how to access local services. Where local dentists are not registering new patients, NHS Direct will be able to inform them of other local arrangements providing access to NHS dentistry.
	We are committed to ensuring that NHS dentistry is available to all who want it. In supporting this commitment the Government have invested over £100 million in the last two years. Significant resources have been invested in personal dental service pilots to improve access to NHS dentistry in areas with significant problems.

Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1082W, regarding the square footage of the property that has been empty since July 2000, if the Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre in Birmingham is occupied and functioning.

Jacqui Smith: The Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre closed in July 2000, and has been unoccupied since its pending proposed re-use by an NHS trust.

Senior House Officers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he received Professor Temple's report on the modernisation of the Senior House Officer grade; and when he will publish it.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The Chief Medical Officer chaired a working group last year to advise UK Health Ministers on a modern structure for basic specialist medical training throughout the UK and on the resulting consequences for work force planning and service delivery. The working group comprised a wide range of interests including those from the profession, the national health service and education. Health Ministers expect to receive the Chief Medical Officer's report shortly when we will consider carefully a suitable publication date.

Digital Hearing Aids

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects NHS trusts in Lancashire to provide digital hearing aids; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Digital hearing aids are provided in Lancashire by the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust, a first wave site. An announcement about which second wave NHS trusts will be providing digital hearing aids this year was made in my reply to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreman (Mr. Loughton) and the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 465W. Fairfield hospital, Bury and Southport and Ormskirk hospital did express an interest but were unable to gain the support of the respective primary care trusts. No other sites in Lancashire expressed interest in this round. In addition to the second wave sites, we hope to be able to provide at least a further 15 sites with the training and equipment they need to start fitting digital hearing aids from April 2003. Trusts in Lancashire, together with others in England, have an opportunity to participate in this next phase.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names and areas of residence of those people who formed the interviewing panel for the appointment of non-executive directors of the Warrington PCT.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The interview panel was chaired by Miss Rosemary Cooper, who is chair of Liverpool Women's Hospital Trust and lives in Liverpool. The other panel members were Mr. Robin Brown, recently appointed chair of Warring Primary Care Trust, who live in the Warrington, South constituency, and Mrs. Marlene Armitage, who was the independent panel member and lives in Oldham.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) local and (b) national bodies on the failure of the Warrington PCT to appoint a chief executive; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	The appointment of primary care trust chief executives is a matter for each individual PCT. However, I am aware that the Department's north west regional office placed advertisements in early December for the appointment of chief executives to seven prospective PCTs, including Warrington. It is disappointing that this has not resulted in an appointment in Warrington. However, I understand the PCT chair is actively seeking to appoint the high calibre person needed to take on the full range of responsibilities required for this large PCT and is currently re-advertising the post.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on whether the board membership of the Warrington PCT is considered to reflect the geographical area it serves;
	(2)  how many people from the (a) Warrington, North and (b) Warrington, South constituencies applied for positions as non-executive directors of the Warrington PCT; and what percentage of applicants from each constituency were (i) interviewed and (ii) appointed.

Jacqui Smith: holding answers 15 April 2002
	Appointments to the boards of national health service trusts, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and care trusts are now a matter for the NHS Appointments Commission. While the commission does not take into account or have information on constituency boundaries, it always aims to ensure as far as possible that board membership reflects the geographical area served by the NHS body. However, board members do not serve in any representative capacity and all appointments are made on the merits of the candidates involved, in accordance with the criteria determined by the Secretary of State and the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
	Of the 51 applications received for non-executive appointments to the board of Warrington Primary Care Trust, 28 candidates (54.9 per cent.) live in the Warrington, North constituency and 23 in Warrington, South (45.1 per cent.). Of the 13 candidates subsequently interviewed, six (46.2 per cent.) live in Warrington, North and seven (53.8 per cent.) in Warrington, South. All of the three non-executives appointed to date live in Warrington, South. A further two appointments will be made shortly.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of applications for posts as non-executive directors of the Warrington PCT which were not acknowledged.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	All applications for appointment to the board of Warrington Primary Care Trust were acknowledged by the National Health Service Appointments Commission on 12 October 2001. Those applicants who were not called for interview will receive a further letter from the Appointments Commission very shortly explaining that they have been unsuccessful.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Warrington PCT is taking to tackle health inequalities in Warrington; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Warrington identified health inequalities as one of its four key priorities in its Primary Care Trust application. Prior to its establishment, the PCT raised the profile of health inequality in Warrington with the Local Strategic Partnership and particularly through the Health and Wellbeing Partnership. A health inequality sub-group has been established as part of the Health and Wellbeing Partnership to bring a multi-agency focus and resource to tackle poor health in central Warrington. The PCT is working with partners to identify a Warrington Health Improvement Zone, which will form the focus for targeting resources in the future.

Warrington Primary Care Trust

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with board members of the Warrington PCT on their priorities for action; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	Throughout the consultation and preparatory period applicant primary care trusts have been able to contact officials at the former NHS Executive regional office to discuss any aspects of their proposal.
	All PCTs need to deliver against key national priorities such as those identified in the NHS Plan and National Service Frameworks. However PCT's, as the most local NHS organisation, are best place to understand the needs of their local population. As part of their role to improve the health of their populations, secure the provision of services and integrate health and social care, PCTs will identify priorities for action locally, in addition to national priorities that meet the specific needs of their population.

Correspondence

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to correspondence dated 26 November 2001, from the hon. Member for Leominster on behalf of a constituent, Mr. Andrew P. Shaw, transferred from the Home Office in January.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 15 April 2002
	A reply was sent on 16 April.

Asylum Seekers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1415W, on asylum seekers, what evaluation he has made of the protocols put in place by West Sussex Social Services Department and Sussex police for tackling unaccompanied asylum seeking children in danger of being victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation; and what recommendations he has made for other local authorities to adopt these protocols.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 April 2002
	We have been pleased to learn that the number of children going missing from West Sussex has substantially reduced as a consequence of the collaborative multi-agency approach that the Social Services Department, the police and others have taken. The Department is closely involved in supporting and leading developmental and collaborative work among all local authorities which have significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Photodynamic Therapy

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of people who will purchase photodynamic therapy privately in each of the next four years.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 April 2002
	The Department does not routinely collect information on treatment carried out privately and we are, therefore, unable to provide an estimate of the number of people who are likely to purchase photodynamic therapy privately in the next few years.

NHS Finance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much ring-fenced money was made available for spending on mental health services on the Isle of Wight in financial years (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 16 April 2002
	Funding is as follows:
	(a) 2000–01: £34,000 for child and adolescent mental health services.
	(b) 2001–02: no specific allocations.
	(c) 2002–03: £207,000 earmarked allocation for NHS Plan Mental Health.
	Total funds available for mental health services include those provided in the former Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority are and not solely for services on the Isle of Wight.

Infant Vaccines

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require NICE to give comprehensive assessments of new infant vaccines.

Yvette Cooper: Progress in development of new vaccines is reviewed regularly by Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI), the independent expert committee on vaccines for the United Kingdom. This committee comprehensively assesses new vaccines as they become available. The agenda and working papers of JCVI are available to National Institute for Clinical Excellence. There are no plans at present to change this arrangement although this is kept under regular review.

Telecommunications Masts

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research into health the Government have initiated following the recommendations of the Stewart report in respect of telecommunications masts.

Yvette Cooper: The Mobile Telephone Health Research (MTHR) Programme was set up in February 2001 following the publication of a report in May 2000 by an Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones under the chairmanship of Sir William Stewart FRS, FRSE on "Mobile Phones and Health". Radio signals from handsets were identified as a research priority because localised exposures of people using phones are in general appreciably higher than exposures to the whole body from base stations. In both cases, however, exposures need to comply with exposure guidelines.
	The first group of proposals agreed for funding by the Programme Management Committee has generally related to the areas of research identified in the Stewart Report. Although the main focus of much of the funded research relates to the use of mobile phones, in practice many of the experimental studies will also be valuable in providing evidence on any possible effects on people of exposures to radio frequency (RF) radiation from base stations. The agreed programme includes a study on exposures from the newer types of base station that are being introduced in urban areas. Details of research now underway are given on the MTHR website at www.mthr.org.uk.
	A second call for proposals was issued last year and applicants have been invited to submit more detailed research applications which will be considered by the Programme Management Committee in the summer. The aim of this call was to extend the range of research being carried out under the aegis of the MTHR programme and some of the proposals are of direct relevance to exposures to RF radiation from base stations.

Health Expenditure

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average health expenditure per person was in (a) St. Helens, (b) Liverpool, (c) Manchester, (d) London, (e) England and (f) Wales in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000, (iv) 2001 and (v) the quarter to 31 March 2002.

John Hutton: Expenditure per weighted head of population is shown in the table for St. Helens and Knowsley, Liverpool and Manchester health authorities, for all health authorities within the London regional office area and for England. Information for Wales is the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales. Information for 2001–02 is not available until the autumn.
	
		£ 
		
			  Expenditure per weighted head  
			 Health body 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 St. Helens and Knowsley HA 594.89 658.59 749.06 
			 Liverpool HA 613.87 736.12 887.35 
			 Manchester HA 664.41 773.81 869.02 
			 London 649.43 764.49 886.12 
			 England 627.77 721.10 825.38 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year.
	2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
	3. The expenditure is the total expenditure of the health authority and the commissioning expenditure of the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. The majority of drugs expenditure in 1998–99 and a smaller element in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.
	4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2000–01 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.
	5. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties or training which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.
	Source:
	Health authority audited accounts 1998–99
	Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01
	Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01
	Weighted population estimates for 1997–98 to 2000–01

Pertussis

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the period time available to general practitioners to introduce the pre-school pertussis booster in 2001.

Yvette Cooper: In 2001, general practitioners were asked to switch from providing diphtheria tetanus vaccine to diphtheria tetanus pertussis vaccine as soon as they had received their supplies of the replacement vaccine.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham can expect answers to his Questions Ref. (a) 7597 (holding answer 15.10.01), (b) 7600 (holding answer 15.10.01), (c) 7606 (holding answer 15.10.01), (d) 24676 (holding answer 15.10.01), (e) 24341 (holding answer 15.10.01), (f) 12606 (holding answer 5.11.01), (g) 19224 (holding answer 29.11.01), (h) 26497 (holding answer 11.1.02), (i) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (j) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (k) 24681 (tabled 17.12.01), (l) 24310 (tabled 17.12.01) and (m) 24326 (holding answer 8.1.02).

Yvette Cooper: Pursuant to the reply given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 285W, replies to the hon. Member's questions were given as follows:
	7597—12 March 2002, Official Report, column 1066W
	7600—11 March 2002, Official Report, column 829W
	7606—11 March 2002, Official Report, column 846W
	24676—11 March 2002, Official Report, column 1062W
	24341—12 March 2002, Official Report, column 1062W
	12606—12 March 2002, Official Report, column 990W
	19224—22 January 2002, Official Report, column 755W
	26497—26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1061W
	26496—11 March 2002, Official Report, column 811W
	24681—13 February 2002, Official Report, column 473W
	24310—25 February 2002, Official Report, column 973W
	24326—12 February 2002, Official Report, column 321W.